The Southeastern Conference did the expected Friday by easing the penalty for schools that accept graduate transfers who do not wind up meeting the necessary academic benchmarks.
League commissioner Greg Sankey said Tuesday night that there was a proposal to reduce the graduate-transfer ban from three years to one. University presidents then voted in the change, which was announced as the SEC spring meetings drew to a close in Destin, Fla.
"This puts us in line with what everybody else in the country is doing," Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin told reporters Friday in Destin, "and I think that makes a lot of sense."
Florida accepted two graduate transfers in 2015, Georgia Tech linebacker Anthony Harrell and Fordham offensive lineman Mason Halter, who failed to meet their academic requirements after arriving in Gainesville. A three-year ban for accepting graduate transfers was imposed on the Gators, which was scheduled to run through 2018, but Friday's change in the rule puts Florida in play to land Notre Dame graduate transfer quarterback Malik Zaire.
Zaire, a 6-foot-1, 225-pounder, completed 58 of 98 passes for 816 yards during his three seasons with the Fighting Irish, with six touchdown passes and no interceptions. He posted "Let's go!!!!!!!!!!!" on Twitter after the SEC announced its change but had not formally committed to Florida as of Friday night.
The SEC tabled a proposal from Georgia to allow graduate transfers to go from one SEC school to another, deferring to an NCAA working group on the topic. Alabama last summer blocked the transfer of Crimson Tide defensive back Maurice Smith to the Bulldogs, but Alabama eventually relented and Sankey granted Smith a waiver provided that Smith met multiple academic stipulations.
Also tabled Friday by league presidents and chancellors was discussion about alcohol sales in SEC football and basketball venues. LSU athletic director Joe Alleva has led the charge to allow beer sales in public areas in addition to the existing sales in club and suite levels.
The University of Texas began allowing alcohol sales at home football games in 2015 and earned $1.8 million that year and another $3.1 million this past season, according to the Austin American-Statesman.
"We haven't changed our policy, but it's a conversation topic going forward," Sankey said Friday in a news conference.
When asked by reporters earlier this week about the likelihood of increased alcohol sales, Vanderbilt athletic director David Williams said, "I think over the next three years you'll probably see something."
Sankey also announced that the SEC has strengthened a rule giving him authority to reschedule football games and that it is now a rule that each league team must play eight conference games to be eligible for a division title. This change came about after the fallout from last season's Florida-LSU game that had to be rescheduled as a result of concerns about Hurricane Matthew.
Better stay put
Beginning this season, college football coaches will be assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty for leaving the sideline to enter the field of play to argue an official's ruling. SEC coordinator of officials Steve Shaw announced the change this week in Destin.
Coaches still will be allowed to step out on the field to call timeouts, during timeouts and to check on injured players.
UGA hires Velasco
Fernando Velasco, a Georgia offensive lineman during the 2003-04 and 2006-07 seasons, has been hired as the player relations coordinator at his alma mater. Velasco played center in the NFL for eight seasons with four teams, reaching Super Bowl 50 with the Carolina Panthers.