College athletes will no longer need permission from their coach or school to transfer and receive financial aid from another school.
The NCAA Division I Council approved the change Wednesday. It takes effect Oct. 15.
The long-awaited transfer reform is a narrow one but should provide more freedom for athletes to transfer when and where they want.
Under the new rule, athletes can be contacted by other schools when they notify their current coaches, who have two days to enter the names into a database created and managed by the NCAA that will alert schools who can be recruited. The change will come with stricter tampering rules to help appease coaches who worry illegal recruiting could rise.
Currently an athlete must ask a coach for permission to contact other schools when choosing to transfer. A school interested in recruiting a transferring player also must ask the current school for permission to recruit. Without permission from the original school, the athlete cannot get financial aid from another school, essentially blocking a transfer.
Nicholas Clark, a former football player at Coastal Carolina and a member of a student representative on the council, said the change promotes fairness and the well-being of college athletes.
“This creates a safe place for student-athletes to have a conversation with their coaches and makes the whole process more transparent,” Clark said.
