The NCAA’s One-Time Transfer Rule, and Why It Needs to Go

By: Emma Knauf

Over 1,000 men’s college basketball players have entered the NCAA transfer portal, an

extremely high number that is expected to keep growing. This is a result of the one-time transfer

rule, a policy allowing Division I athletes to transfer once, without having to sit out for a season.

The regulation was implemented to simplify the transfer process, to improve transparency within

the transfer portal and to ensure athletes have as much time to play as possible. It was supposed

to refine the conditions of the transfer portal, but many fans, teammates and coaches are

frustrated, calling the transfer portal a “free agency” and watching player after player leave the

court. The NCAA’s one-time transfer rule should be removed because the policy makes it harder

for fans to feel connected to their team, for players to develop strong relationships on their team

and for coaches to recruit new players.

Because of the large number of men’s basketball players switching in and out, it is not

easy for fans to keep track of all the players and feel connected to them. It is difficult for fans to

cheer on their teams, with so many talented players leaving so abruptly. As a fan of the Syracuse

University men’s basketball team, I know I would feel upset and betrayed if someone like Buddy

Boeheim or Joseph Girard III went into the transfer portal. The transfer portal rule also affects

the fans who are students. Potential college students tend to consider sports and school spirit

important factors when looking at colleges. If people do not know their teams well enough, fans

will feel less excited about the games, and those searching for a college with school spirit will

look elsewhere. Sports are meant to bring people closer together, but, if the one-time transfer rule

stays in place, it will only continue to drive them apart.

 It is also difficult for the teammates who are watching players leave their team. Once a

player leaves, they no longer need to worry about their previous team, but the team they left

behind must pick up the pieces and figure out how to keep playing. Because teams are starting to

look so different year after year, some men’s basketball programs will lose the camaraderie they

worked so hard to develop and struggle to build themselves up. Basketball players at the high

school level, looking to play in college, are hurt by the transfer rule, too. The portal now has

coaches favoring transfer players with college-level experience over high school athletes, making

it harder for fresh, new talent to get the opportunity to play.

Not only does the transfer rule hurt the fans and the players, but it negatively impacts the

coaches, as well. Matt Painter, the men’s basketball coach for Purdue, said, “As a coach, the

ability to effectively teach and lead a program would be more difficult. And perhaps most

significantly, remaining student-athletes would be left in an untenable situation in the likely

event of a mass exodus of teammates in a single off-season.” It is difficult to coach a constantly

changing team and adjust team strategy when new players with different skills and experience

come in. And with so many players in the transfer portal, coaches are struggling to pick out the

best talent that will match the energy and playing style of their team. If coaches fail to recruit the

right players, their teams will fall behind, and they will not have the time to recover.

It can be argued that the regulation has made the transfer process easier for basketball

players, and it is better for transferring college athletes to play on their new team right away. But

completely starting over with another team is easier said than done. It is not guaranteed that the

transfer process will work out, and teams with transfers may find it hard to play against teams

with more experience together. Historically, some of the best men’s college basketball programs

have resulted from players staying all four years. The transfer process is also being abused by

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players, looking to escape after a poor season. For example, as mentioned in The Crimson

Quarry, nine players from the University of Georgia’s men’s basketball program entered the

portal last year, after a 14-12 (7-11 SEC) season. Athletes should have the opportunity to

transfer, if necessary, but it should be a planned and carefully considered decision that is not

based on losses.

The NCAA’s efforts to simplify the transfer process should not go unnoticed.

Transferring to another school is no easy task for men’s college basketball players, and it is good

that the NCAA is trying to support athletes along the way. But, because of the negative impact

its new rule has had on the fans, the players and the coaches, I believe the one-time transfer rule

is not the way to go. I think the NCAA should speak directly with college basketball players and

coaches to get their opinions on what should be done to fix the current transfer process, then try

to implement policies based on their answers. Getting rid of the transfer rule would lessen the

chaos of the transfer portal, and it would keep both the people on the court and in the stands

happy.

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