Can Michigan State players transfer after Mel Tucker firing? NCAA rules for 30-day window

Mel Tucker was officially fired for cause by Michigan State on Wednesday, ending the Spartan football coach's tenure after three-plus seasons in East Lansing.

Tucker's firing is a result of the university's investigation into allegations from sexual assault survivor Brenda Tracy that he sexually harassed her. His final game coached was a Week 2 victory over Richmond. The timing of his firing is particularly prevalent for players on Michigan State's football team, which has floundered to an 0-2 record under interim coach Harlon Barnett.

Because Tucker was fired midseason, Spartans football players now have a 30-day window to enter the transfer portal. According to NCAA rules, players have the opportunity to enter the transfer portal if their coach is fired as a season is ongoing. They then are allowed to have contact with coaches for potential future roster spots for 30 days. Michigan State has also already lost numerous high school commitments.

Here's everything you need to know about the NCAA transfer rules amid Tucker's firing at Michigan State:

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Can Michigan State players transfer after Mel Tucker firing?

Yes. Apart from a 45-day period in December and January, FBS football players have an additional one-time transfer exception that allows them a 30-day window to enter the portal following a coach's midseason firing.

Per Rule 14.5.5.2.11 — "Head Coach Departure Prior to Initial Full-Time Enrollment Exception" — football players can transfer if the following conditions are met:

• (A) The student has not previously enrolled as a full-time student in a regular term (semester or quarter) of a collegiate institution

• (B) The head coach at the student's previous institution left the institution after the student met a condition affecting transfer status ... and before the start of the next regular academic term (e.g., fall semester).

Per an NCAA document titled, "Undergraduate Transfer Rules Quick Tip Sheet For Coaches," it offers FBS players a 30-day period to enter the transfer portal.

"Student-athletes receive an extra 30-day time period to enter the transfer portal if there is a head coaching change or if aid is canceled."

That means Michigan State players have until Oct. 26 to enter the transfer portal with Tucker's midseason firing. Doing so allows players to have legal contact with coaches for future eligibility and scholarship opportunities.

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Are Michigan State players who transfer eligible to play this season?

No. Michigan State players that opt to enter the transfer portal midseason are not eligible to play for other teams this season. Per Rule 14.5.5.3 — "Competition in year of Transfer" — of the NCAA rulebook:

"A transfer student from a four-year institution who has received a waiver of or qualifies for an exception to the transfer residence requirement ... shall not be eligible for competition in which the student-athlete's performance could be used for NCAA championship qualification or consideration if the student-athlete participated in competition at the previous four-year institution in the same sport in which the student athlete's performance could have been used for NCAA championship qualification or consideration."

Will Michigan State transfers lose a year of eligibility?

It depends. The NCAA has guidelines in place that stipulate whether a football player loses a year of eligibility in a given season. Per Rule 12.8 of the 2022-2023 NCAA Division I Manual, Division I football players can play up to four games in a season without exhausting their eligibility.

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"In football, a student-athlete representing a Division I institution may compete in up to four contests in a season without using a season of competition."

So that means any player who immediately enters the transfer portal and does not play another game for the Spartans will not exhaust their eligibility. Michigan State players can continue playing for the Spartans while in the transfer portal midseason, however, that seems like an unlikely choice for many due to burning a season of eligibility.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Can Michigan State football players transfer after Mel Tucker firing?