The SEC has changed its transfer rules and graduates will not be forced to sit out a season when transferring to another SEC school. Is the rule change another reaction to Alabama football dominance?
Alabama football coach, Nick Saban was not an advocate for changing the graduate transfer rule. Among other SEC football coaches, only Ed Orgeron agreed with Saban.
The new SEC rule will now match the NCAA rule on graduate transfers. After a football player earns a degree, he may transfer to any team of his choosing without any playing limitation. Will Muschamp, Dan Mullen and Jeremy Pruitt are immediately happy with the rules change.
Former Ole Miss wide receiver, Van Jefferson will now be eligible to play for the Gators in 2018. Though not yet official, Tennessee is expected to add former Alabama football offensive lineman, Brandon Kennedy. Texas A&M graduate transfer, Nick Harvey will not have to sit out 2018 to play for South Carolina.
Saban and Orgeron were strongly opposed to a move taking college football closer to free agency. Saban made these comments at the SEC Spring Meetings,
"If we agree in the SEC in these meetings that we’re going to have free agency in our league and everybody can go wherever they want to go when they graduate and that’s what’s best for the game, then I think that’s what we should do"
Other coaches expressed strong feelings against any future change that would result in free agency for undergraduates. Jimbo Fisher said,
"if you don’t have some kind of sit-out year for kids that transfer… they don’t feel good. Coach got on me. It’ll be a zoo. It will be a zoo, as far as people going back and forth and you can’t let it become that."
Just another attempt to slow down Saban and Alabama football?
Getting a majority of SEC football coaches to favor changes is not difficult. Convince them a rule change or a new restriction will harm Saban and Alabama football and most quickly jump onboard. The graduate transfer rule change will make it easier to poach players away from the Crimson Tide. Every season there are several very good Crimson Tide players stuck outside the two-deep on the Tide depth chart. Many of them are capable of quickly starting at other SEC schools.
A couple of days ago we discussed graduate transfers and free agency and suggested restrictions might be appropriate given the investment of extra resources schools make to allow football players to graduate in three years.
Now that the rule has changed, we’ll pose a couple of different questions. Why would schools continue to expedite graduation for players? Why (except with physically unfit players) would a school now choose to ever redshirt a player?
The questions are pertinent because, with the new rule, three-year graduations and redshirts can allow a player to transfer and play for an opponent for two seasons. Even if the majority argument is valid – after graduating a player should be allowed to immediately play anywhere – why should a program make it easy for players to exit?
The SEC does not publish its voting results. Passage only requires a majority. On Friday, SEC Commissioner, Greg Sankey did disclose the graduate transfer rule change received a “super-majority.”
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Consider this hypothetical. With early credits earned in high school, early enrollment in January, two summer terms and interim terms, sophomores can graduate within 30 months of leaving high school. Not many student-athletes will choose the arduous task of such an academic calendar. For the few who choose to try, how much should a college help them?