NCAA study validates cynicism regarding one-year graduate transfers
The rampant cynicism regarding the NCAA's one-year graduate transfer rule now has some data to corroborate it.
A study released by the NCAA on Thursday tracked 353 graduate transfers in 2011 and 2012. Only one quarter of the football participants and one third of the men's basketball participants have since gone on to earn their graduate degree and most non-completers simply withdrew when their athletic eligibility had been exhausted.
This data is relevant since the NCAA implemented the graduate transfer rule less to reward athletes who completed their degree with free agent status and more to accommodate those who wanted to pursue a graduate program not available at their current school. That's why athletes who complete their degree are only eligible to transfer without sitting out a year if they enroll in a graduate program not offered by their former school.
Coaches have long mocked this rule and correctly noted that the vast majority of graduate transfers switch schools for athletic reasons. Frankly, if one third of men's basketball graduate transfers actually finish their graduate degrees within two years, I'm mildly surprised the percentage is that high, and I suspect many coaches would be as well.
So what's the solution here? Will coaches and athletic directors respond to this study by pushing to eliminate the graduate transfer rule? I sincerely hope not.
There are way to many restrictions on transfers in college sports and way too few incentives for athletes to focus on their studies. This rule is the exception to that. If a redshirt junior completes his degree in four years and wants to transfer to a school where he'll receive more playing time or have a better chance to compete for an NCAA tournament bid, what's the harm in that?
The only aspect of this rule that should be changed is the silliness about athletes needing to enroll in a graduate program not offered by their former school. Eliminate that, and call this rule what it really is — a reward for athletes who earn their degree in four or fewer years and want to finish their college careers in a new environment.
That's what Bryce Dejean-Jones did transferring from UNLV to Iowa State. It's what Byron Wesley did leaving USC for Gonzaga. And it's what Anthony Lee did exiting Temple in favor of Ohio State.
There's nothing wrong with any of those decisions, but let's stop pretending basketball wasn't the primary motivation behind them.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
