A new report reveals that there is a push within college sports that could benefit schools like Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Duke in future years.
College sports have changed in a major way during this decade. Throughout the history of the NCAA, the only way to build an elite program — beyond high level coaching — was in recruiting. Coaches and their staff had to be just as gifted in identifying and recruiting high school players as they were at X’s and O’s.
However, with the introduction of name, image, and likeness rules, schools that have big pots of money in NIL collectives now have more influence than ever. The effect NIL deals have had on recruiting from the high school ranks and the transfer portal have been positive for schools like Notre Dame, Ohio State, St. John’s, and Duke in recent years.
But a different option to improve rosters may be broadened soon. On Tuesday, CBS Sports revealed that 16 national coaches associations wrote the NCAA Division I Board of Governors to change decades-long eligibility requirements for athletes from junior college schools.
Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Duke could have more roster building options from JUCO ranks soon
Currently, junior college athletes are required to have a 2.5 grade-point average if they hope to switch to an NCAA school. But players transferring between other four-year schools only need to have a 2.0 GPA to transfer.
It must be noted that the coaches’ associations for football and men’s and women’s basketball were not a part of the letter. However, CBS Sports speculates they could be having separate conversations about the topic with the NCAA.
The letter suggests JUCO athletes are being discriminated against under the current standards. The major contentions in the current guidelines can be found below.
- Academic non-qualifiers at a four-year school can regain eligibility after one academic year if they achieve a 1.8 GPA over 24 credit hours. A non-qualifying junior college athlete who graduates with a two-year degree must have 48 transferrable credit hours. And at least a 2.5 GPA to transfer.
- Transfers between four-year schools have guaranteed scholarships for the remainder of their five-year eligibility clock. Junior college transfers are not guaranteed scholarships for the length of their NCAA eligibility.
- Athletes in various sports are allowed a limited number of scrimmages. Think of baseball and softball participating in “fall ball” before the spring season. If junior college athletes participate in more than two scrimmages at the junior-college level before transferring, that counts as a season of competition.
The JUCO ranks can offer some very talented players. Widening the pathway for their move to the NCAA would certainly help Duke, Notre Dame, St. John’s, Ohio State and hundreds of other programs around the country.