NCAA D1 COUNCIL CHANGES TRANSFER RULES

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — According to the official NCAA public relations account on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, another major change is coming soon for college athletes, pending approval.

The Division I Council approved changes to transfer rules Wednesday. Under the rule changes, players who transfer will be immediately eligible to play for their new program, as long as they are academically eligible and are in good standing at their previous school, and meet “progress-toward-degree requirements” at their new institution.

Under previous rules, the NCAA required student-athletes who transferred multiple times to sit out a year before competing at a new school.

Former WVU men’s basketball guard RaeQuan Battle was a key figure in this change.

Battle sued the NCAA in December, alleging that the NCAA infringed on his contracts with WVU and the Country Roads Trust by denying his waiver and appeal for eligibility at the start of last season. After testifying in federal court in Wheeling, West Virginia, the NCAA announced on Dec. 13 that it would not enforce its two-time transfer rules during a temporary restraining order. That TRO was ultimately carried out throughout the remainder of the 2023-24 basketball season.

Those outcomes not only allowed Battle to suit up for WVU, but gave Noah Farrakhan immediate eligibility as well. Battle averaged 16.1 points and four rebounds per game in 22 contests with the Mountaineers. Farrakhan averaged 7.7 points and three rebounds in 23 games with WVU.

Wednesday’s decision by the Division I Council won’t be finalized until the council’s meeting ends on Thursday. These changes then have to be ratified by the Division I Board on Monday.

According to NCAA PR, academic requirements will replace the previously used year-in-residence requirement for student-athletes who transfer more than once as undergraduates.

The Division I Council also adopted new rules regarding name, image and likeness, allowing schools to assist student-athletes with NIL opportunities, provided that the student-athletes disclose any NIL activities of at least $600 in value to their school.