Advice for College Athletes Regarding Transfer Situations

February 22, 2009 by Rick Allen
Filed under College Athletes, Transfer Issues

It’s the time of year when some college athletes are considering, or have already decided, to transfer to another school for the spring semester. Sometimes it is their choice, and sometimes they are encouraged to leave. (Some baseball athletes are being affected by the latter, as NCAA Division I coaches must cap their baseball roster at 35 players by the start of the season.)

If an athlete is planning to transfer to an NCAA Division I or II school, coaches cannot speak to the athlete about a transfer until they receive written permission from the athlete’s current institution. So, the first thing the athlete should do is talk to their coach and explain that they would like to request permission to speak with other schools. One of the things that upsets many coaches is when they receive a “permission to contact” form from another school and the student-athlete has not given them any indication that they are considering a transfer. The key to remember – coaches don’t like surprises.

It also can be helpful if the athlete and his/her parents are on the same page. A father once contacted school B to say that his son wanted to transfer from school A, and asked school B how to accomplish the transfer. B assumed that the athlete was interested in their school and sent a “permission to contact” form to school A. The compliance person at A contacted his counterpart at B and said that the athlete wanted to know why the form was sent because he had no interest in transferring. I told my counterpart at A that the athlete should talk to his Dad.

For more information on this and other relevant topics, please call 918-994-7271 or email rick@informedathlete.com.