Interesting article in the New York Times about the negative impact that the new graduate transfer rule has had on the mid-majors. The rule allows players that have graduated and still have eligibility to transfer without sitting out a year if the school they transfer to has a graduate degree their current school doesn't offer.
The Albany College Great Danes once ranked 5th in the mid-majors were totally devastated when their top two players transferred to Villanova and Florida St.
The SoCon hasn't been impacted much yet but the threat is looming. Since small schools like Furman and most mid-majors have far fewer graduate programs than the majors this rule is of little benefit to them.
The rule is nothing but a shameless effort to help the major conferences to cannibalize the mid-majors. It's bad enough that college basketball players are transferring in record numbers (40% transfer by the end of their sophomore year) now there's this loophole to help the majors even more by encouraging some of the top mid-major players to transfer without penalty.
The Albany College Great Danes once ranked 5th in the mid-majors were totally devastated when their top two players transferred to Villanova and Florida St.
The SoCon hasn't been impacted much yet but the threat is looming. Since small schools like Furman and most mid-majors have far fewer graduate programs than the majors this rule is of little benefit to them.
The rule is nothing but a shameless effort to help the major conferences to cannibalize the mid-majors. It's bad enough that college basketball players are transferring in record numbers (40% transfer by the end of their sophomore year) now there's this loophole to help the majors even more by encouraging some of the top mid-major players to transfer without penalty.
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