Two sweeping changes by the NCAA were announced today.
Starting this season, football players can play in up to four games without losing a season of competition
The first major change is that college football players can now participate in up to four games in a season without using up a “season of competition.”
So, if Coach Frost wants to start Adrian Martinez for two games at the beginning of this next season, and two games at the end of next season he will still have four remaining “seasons of competition” for the Huskers.
Council chair Blake James, athletics director at Miami (Florida), said the rule change benefits student-athletes and coaches alike.
“This change promotes not only fairness for college athletes, but also their health and well-being. Redshirt football student-athletes are more likely to remain engaged with the team, and starters will be less likely to feel pressure to play through injuries,” James said. “Coaches will appreciate the additional flexibility and ability to give younger players an opportunity to participate in limited competition.”
The committee will examine how a similar concept can be applied to other sports.
This is effective immediately for the 2018-2019 season.
Personally I really like this rule specifically in regards to bowl games but also games at the end of the season. Getting kids chances to play in some meaningless games is really good in my opinion.
New transfer rule eliminates permission-to-contact process
The second major change is that coaches can no longer stop a student athlete from transferring. Nick Saban will not be happy.
Beginning in October, Division I student-athletes will have the ability to transfer to a different school and receive a scholarship without asking their current school for permission.
The Division I Council adopted a proposal this week that creates a new “notification-of-transfer” model. This new system allows a student to inform his or her current school of a desire to transfer, then requires that school to enter the student’s name into a national transfer database within two business days. Once the student-athlete’s name is in the database, other coaches are free to contact that individual.
Those awkward conversations when the kid tells the coach he wants to leave doesn’t have to happen anymore. Thanks again millennials!
Prior to this rule change, the student-athlete had to get permission from their current school to contact a new school in order to receive a scholarship.
Unfortunately Conferences by themselves can make a more restrictive rule than the national rule. Nick Saban is happy.
Also on a kind of brutal note. Currently schools cannot cancel the scholarship if a student gives them notice of an intent to transfer. That rule however is being reviewed and may be changing in the upcoming weeks.
The new rule change is effective on October 15th, 2018.