Tag Archive for: NCAA Transfers

NCAA DI Transfer Portal Changes Approved

At the NCAA Convention last week, the Division I Cabinet approved changes to the Transfer Portal windows which will take effect immediately for the following sports:

  • In Men’s and Women’s Basketball, the Transfer Portal window will open for 15 days beginning the day after the respective Men’s and Women’s championship games.
  • In Men’s Hockey, the Transfer Portal window will be open for 15 days beginning the Monday after the Frozen Four championship.

Also, when a head coaching change occurs in Men’s and Women’s Basketball and Men’s Hockey, a 15-day Transfer Portal window will open 5 days after the hiring of a new head coach has been announced.

  • In Track and Field, the Transfer Window following the Indoor Track season has been eliminated.
  • In Men’s Wrestling, the Transfer Window will be open for a 30-day period from April 1-30.

Do You Have Questions?

To learn about the steps, rules and academic requirements for your student-athlete’s specific situation, schedule a confidential Transfer Consultation online, call 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com

/by
, ,

Frequently Asked Questions This Time of Year

With fall sports and classes starting, here’s a sample of some of the questions we frequently get this time of year: 

  • I’ve started practice with my college team, but I’m not sure this is the right fit for me and I’m thinking about leaving. Will that hurt my eligibility?
  • When does my eligibility “clock” start?
  • Will I be considered a transfer athlete if I leave this team after starting practices at this college?
  • What happens to my eligibility if I withdraw from classes after starting the semester?
  • My new coach just informed me that I likely won’t receive any playing time this season.  Do I have any options to transfer at this late date?  Or, could I take a gap year? 
  • I just learned that I may not be able to be eligible at my new college this year because I don’t have enough transferable credit hours.  Do I have any options for a waiver at this point?
  • How do I redshirt at the NCAA Division III level?

Do you have questions like these or others? 

We can help you in a confidential phone, Video, or What’s App consultation.  At one of these links, select a consultation:  Eligibility Issues Consult, a Transfer Consult, or a Scholarship Strategies Consult.  Don’t worry about whether you’re choosing the correct category of consultation.

Regardless of which category you choose, we will discuss your athlete’s specific situation, answer all your questions, and explain what options your athlete can consider.  Your privacy is our highest priority, therefore everything discussed is held in the highest confidence.  

You can also contact us directly by calling our office at 913-766-1235 or by sending an email to rick@informedathlete.com.

/by
, , ,

NCAA Rule Changes Just Keep on Coming!

Over the past year or so, we’ve obviously seen many changes to the NCAA rules, mostly at the Division I level.

  • Changes to the Transfer Portal Windows in D1
  • The opportunity for athletes to be immediately eligible after a transfer, even if they have previously transferred from one four-year university to another (as long as they satisfy academic requirements to be eligible at the new university).
  • The elimination of contact, evaluation and quiet periods from the Division II recruiting calendars, as we mentioned in our last newsletter.
  • Proposed settlements in the “House vs. NCAA” lawsuit which potentially are leading to more scholarships being available to Division I athletes, even though roster limits may reduce the number of roster spots available in various NCAA sports.

AND NOW

It was recently reported by credible sources that Division I leadership is considering even further changes to the NCAA rules. Such changes being considered include:

  • Applying football’s “four-game rule” to all sports.
  • Allowing student-athletes in all sports to earn prize money before enrolling in college.
  • Eliminating the National Letter of Intent (but possibly being replaced by institutional scholarship signing agreements that would likely be very similar to the NLI).
  • Allowing student-athletes and recruits in all sports to maintain their collegiate eligibility while engaging with agents to consider and explore pro sports opportunities.

Do you have questions about how these rule changes could affect your athlete?

Schedule a confidential Transfer Eligibility Consult online, send an email to rick@informedathlete.com or call us at 913-766-1235.

/by

Speaking of NCAA Transfers…

I came across a sports media report a few days ago that 131 football players from Bowl Subdivision programs have entered the NCAA Transfer Portal since August 1.

The report didn’t include this info but it would be interesting to know how many of those entered the Portal before their season started compared to how many have entered the Portal in the middle of their season.

That report also noted that Florida State has the most football players in the Transfer Portal with 5, while Air Force, Colorado State and Syracuse all have 4 players in the Portal.

We’ve been receiving a large number of inquiries about the Transfer Portal recently.

We know that the number of athletes entering the Portal will be increasing for many sports over the next few weeks, especially as Fall sports move closer to the end of their season.

A recent article published to our website, When is the Best Time For An Athlete To Enter The NCAA Transfer Portal?, lists 4 things to consider before an athlete files a request.

If your athlete is considering a Transfer and wants to be prepared to enter the Portal at the end of their season or even before, schedule a Transfer Consultation online or contact us via rick@informedathlete.com or 913-766-1235.

/by
, ,

Proposed New NCAA DI Transfer Rule

Representatives from the NCAA Division I membership will be voting on proposed “Uniform Transfer Legislation” at the January NCAA Convention.

If approved, this legislation will permit all Division I student-athletes – even scholarship athletes in basketball and football – the opportunity to transfer one time to a new school with the chance to be eligible and not have to sit out from competition in their first year at the new university.

Here are some key points to note about this proposed legislation:

  • Student-athletes transferring to an NCAA Division I program for the 2021-22 academic year will be able to benefit from this rule change.
  • This will be a one-time opportunity that can be used at any point during a student-athlete’s eligibility. It can be used as an undergrad or as a grad transfer, but not both.
  • Student-athletes must be eligible at the time of their transfer.
  • Athletes will not be permitted to compete for two different programs in the same school year.
  • Coaches and athletic departments will not be able to object to the athlete’s transfer.
  • Student-athletes and their new head coach will be required to affirm that recruiting didn’t occur until after the athlete’s name appeared in the NCAA Transfer Portal.
  • Under this proposal, student-athletes will have a deadline to enter the Transfer Portal in order to take advantage of this new rule – May 1 for Fall and Winter sports and July 1 for Spring sports.
  • There will likely be exceptions to those deadlines granted for student-athletes in situations when there is a head coaching change or when an athlete is informed of a scholarship reduction or non-renewal.

Potential pitfalls and concerns

  • With a proposed deadline of May 1st for Fall sport athletes in a year when most Fall sports have been shifted to the Spring, student-athletes who are considering a transfer may need to enter the Transfer Portal before their season concludes (unless an exception is granted for this particular situation).
  • The dates noted above could also have a very significant impact for student-athletes who may want to transfer at midyear. An athlete who might be thinking next Fall about a midyear transfer would not be able to use this new rule unless they had already entered the Transfer Portal before May 1 or July 1 (depending upon their sport).

This means that midyear transfers won’t be eligible in their first year at their new school unless the rule is revised or if another exception is established.

  • Also, it’s unclear at this time whether conferences will still impose restrictions or penalties on athletes who transfer from one school to another within the same conference.

If your athlete is considering a transfer and you would like to review and discuss the Transfer rules, purchase and schedule a confidential Transfer Consult online or by calling our office at 913-766-1235.

/by

Should student-athletes consider a transfer in these uncertain times?

That depends.

The final decision to transfer must be made by an athlete and family based on a number of factors. But we can help you to consider the pros and cons of a possible transfer by having a confidential discussion of the factors to consider.

Such factors/questions include:

  • Do the rules applying to your sport and situation give you the opportunity to be eligible next year with a new team? (Baseball, basketball, football, and men’s ice hockey can be more difficult.)
  • How many seasons of eligibility do you have remaining?
  • Will you satisfy the academic requirements to be eligible as a transferring student-athlete?
  • Are you transferring to another four-year college, or to a junior college to be re-recruited to another four-year college?

Do you need assistance?

If you want to discuss your specific situation as it relates to these questions and the options your student-athlete can consider, schedule a confidential transfer consultation online or by calling us at 913-766-1235 or sending an email to rick@informedathlete.com

/by

One NCAA Athlete’s Transfer Experience – a Behind-the-Scenes Look

One of our clients recently shared their son’s personal experience as a baseball transfer and granted permission for us to share it anonymously with our readers.

Many of you have had your own transfer experience, but this is the first time that we’ve received this level of detailed feedback about going through a transfer. We thought some of you may find this of interest:

“Hi Rick,

Just wanted to update you on son’s transfer status:

XXXX was admitted to XXXX as a mid-year baseball transfer last week. He is excited to say the least. Arm health permitting he is eligible to play in Spring 2020.

Below are some take-aways from son’s very quick mid-year transfer experience:

– His original school did a good job getting him on NCAA Transfer Portal, no issues there.

-Transfer Portal brought significant interest from numerous D2’s and even JUCOs, maybe 15-20 over course of 2-weeks. I believe only one D1 contacted him through the portal. 

– Most traction came from son reaching out to programs who saw him before his surgery. They were all willing to bank on him getting back to his pre-surgery low-90s.

– Within the first 5-days he had target interest from five D1s and multiple high academic D3s. 

– Had offers from several schools.

– Committed to D3 XXX and with coach support was admitted Early Decision earlier this month.

– The transfer process was quick, with fall baseball ending in late October and mid-year transfer application deadlines being November 1 for schools that offer mid-year transfer.

That’s it, Rick. Thanks for all your counsel.”

Need Advice?

Considering a transfer to another school can be extremely stressful and so overwhelming that many student-athletes quit their sport altogether and sometimes they drop out of school.

We understand the frustration, anger, fear and insecurities that often result.  It doesn’t have to be that way – Rick Allen can help guide you through the process.

Schedule a confidential Transfer Consult Online or call us at 913-766-1235 to set your confidential session with Rick.

/by

Can a student-athlete withdraw and leave after semester has started?

This past week we received multiple requests from families for options their student-athlete can consider if he or she chooses to withdraw from all classes and leave their college now in the middle of the semester.

We often advise that the student-athlete not leave unless they have a well thought out plan in place.  The plan should include considering their current and future NCAA academic eligibility status, and how it affects their scholarship obligations.   A potential transfer to another school and the steps involved is another important consideration.

We have advised many student-athletes and prepared such a plan so that they don’t damage their future eligibility. When working with student-athletes and their families, the most important aspect of the plan is to review and discuss the academic eligibility requirements that must be satisfied to make sure they will be eligible at their next college.

If you have a student-athlete who is considering leaving their college before the “drop/add date” or one who just wants to plan ahead for a possible transfer at the end of this school year, we can work with and guide you through the transfer process. To schedule your personalized, confidential consultation, call our office at 913-766-1235.

/by

The Cost of Not Being An Informed Athlete

Here are 3 scenarios that I frequently hear then I’m contacted by student-athletes or their families regarding the transfer process.  In each of these cases, the NCAA Division I student-athlete was planning to transfer and was ready to, or already had, resigned from their team, and in one case, the student-athlete had already withdrawn from classes at his current college.

Read further to learn what happened:

Case A:
The student-athlete made up his mind to transfer, and requested permission from his coach to contact other schools.  He informed the coach that he was going to finish out the semester in school, but wasn’t going to continue as a team member in team practice.
Result:  He called me the next day to ask about the rules when he found out that his athletic scholarship was being cancelled immediately, potentially costing him and his family thousands of dollars.  At that point, it was too late to help him. 

Case B:
The student-athlete learned through a friend of an opportunity at another college, and withdrew from his classes to pursue this other opportunity. Unfortunately, he had already begun attending classes for this semester at his current school.
Result:  The family contacted me to confirm that if he didn’t complete this semester where he was, that he wouldn’t be eligible next Fall at the new college.  He did indeed have to get re-admitted to classes for this semester at his current school and complete this semester.

Case C:
The father of a student-athlete sent this e-mail:
“He is still there, enrolled for the Spring semester, but called me tonight and plans to resign from the team tomorrow and request permission to transfer.  If he resigns from the team, is the school still obligated to pay his room and board payments after his resignation through the end of the semester?  He thinks they would since he signed a one year scholarship.”
Result: Because this father contacted me prior to his son’s conversation with the coach to fully understand the consequences of his son’s plan and discuss how to properly handle this situation, he saved nearly $5000 in room and board benefits that his son would have lost had he resigned from his team.

It’s always better and less expensive to understand the rules and how they apply to your situation BEFORE costly mistakes are made! 

In 2 of the above cases, if the parent or student-athlete had contacted me BEFORE they took action, I could have advised them on how to handle the situation and helped save them potentially thousands of dollars and/or alot of stress that resulted.

In the 3rd case, I was able to head off a negative outcome by alerting the parent and student-athlete to what would happen if the student-athlete quit the team in the middle of the semester.  We then discussed how to navigate through the rest of the semester to result in the student-athlete’s ultimate desired outcome.

I have worked on both sides of the cases related above.  In my 26+ years of working on major DI college campuses as the Director of Compliance, I’ve had to inform many student-athletes that their scholarships were cancelled after they quit the team.

One of the reasons we started Informed Athlete was to help student-athletes and their families avoid situations like this.

In my 10+ years of advising student-athletes and their families through Informed Athlete, I’ve helped hundreds of student-athletes avoid situations where this type of thing happens, saving them thousands of dollars and all kinds of stress.

In order to help you understand the rules and how they apply to your unique situation, I recommend a private phone consultation.

We’ll discuss your situation, answer any questions, and we’ll review the rules that apply and what is/isn’t permissible.  I’ll also give you options as to the opportunities that might be available to your athlete. Many times both the parent(s) and the student-athlete are on the call and I coach the student-athlete on how to approach and what to say to the coach.

To schedule a CONFIDENTIAL phone consult, you can schedule online, call us directly at 913-766-1235 or send an email to rick@informedathlete.com

/by

NCAA Division I Transfer Notification Approved

NCAA Division I representatives have voted to change the requirement that an athlete must first obtain permission from their university before coaches at other universities can speak with them about a possible transfer.

The change in the rule does not take effect until October 15.  On that date, the need for “permission to contact” will give way to “Notification of Transfer.”

When this change takes effect, a Division I athlete (one attending a Division I university at the time they decide to transfer) will be able to simply notify their athletic department that they plan to transfer and want to contact other colleges. 

Here’s how this will impact Division I athletes who choose to transfer on or after October 15:

  • The student-athlete will be required to notify their athletic department in writing or via email that they are planning to transfer to another college.
  • The student-athlete’s university will be required to enter his or her name into an official transfer database managed by the NCAA within two business days of the written notification.
  • Once the athlete’s name is in the database, coaches at other colleges can contact that athlete regarding his or her desire to transfer.
  • This new rule does NOT yet change anything about whether the athlete can be immediately eligible upon transfer to a new university.

The athletic scholarship of an athlete providing transfer notification can be cancelled by their university at the end of the semester in which they provide such notification. 

As a result, an athlete giving transfer notification to their Division I university in November, for example, will not be able to retain their scholarship for the Spring even if they’re planning to complete the academic year at their original university.

If you would like more information and assistance regarding the transfer process for your student-athlete, click here to schedule a consultation.

 

/by