A proposal to require a graduate transfer to count against a team’s scholarship total for two years in football and basketball has been rejected by the NCAA.
On Friday, the Division I Council voted down a proposal that could have tapped the brakes on the de facto free agency created by a rule originally intended to give athletes more freedom to pursue graduate degrees.
NCAA rules require football and basketball players to sit out a season after transferring, but those who have completed a degree are permitted to transfer and play immediately. The proposed change would have locked schools into a two-year scholarship commitment regardless of how much eligibility a graduate transfer had remaining.
An exception would have been made if the athlete completed graduate degree requirements before the second season.
“I don’t think people were ready to take that step but trying to figure out how that graduate space works will be a continued discussion,” said South Dakota State athletic director Justin Sell, who led the council’s transfer working group.