Transferring from a D2 school to a D1 school

I have a question from a former Post 71 player concerning the rules behind transferring from a non conference affliated Div 2 school to a Div 1 school for baseball. Does anyone know what the requirements are? He is also interested in the requirements from a non conference affliated Div 2 to a Div 2.

Thanks in advance

 

D2 to D1- must sit out a year

D2 to D2- if it is not in same conference, then he is eligible to immediately play

 

Thanks...Does the transfer from D2-D1 lose a years eligiblity or just a season on the pine

 

Remains the same. You have 5 years to complete 4 seasons. They don't lose a year--it's like a redshirt

 

Don't forget... must have been academically eligible at school he leaves from... You can't even talk to a coach at another school without the compliance person at new school requesting a waiver from school he's at now. If he's a recruited athlete, they have the right to make him sit a year regardless since they invested so much in him to begin with.

 

Excellent points, Hoops. I assume by waiver, you are referring to one's release from current school. Most D2 conferences have a rule that transfers "in conference" must sit out a year i.e., transferring from Lenoir Rhyne to Wingate. But to move from LR to Belmont Abbey, one does not sit out.

It's never black and white in regards to a decision to transfer and there are many things to consider, including the potential huge loss in credited hours. But Hoops is right, it must start with the release from your current program.

But keep in mind at the D2 level, many times the only investment the school has in the player is "book money".

 

I really wasn't referring to monetary investment. There is a lot of time involved, hours and phone calls and paperwork (phone logs and working the dollars for scholarship and housing and books and everything else that has to be done to get the kid in school). There is a tremendous amount of work involved just getting one athlete on campus and into school, not to mention manipulating the scholarship dollars from year to year (scholarships are one year contracts). When a player leaves and creates a hole, sometimes a coach can get upset and not want to just let it go. Personalities sometime play into this.

I don't know this guy's situation, but I'm just saying there's more to it than just getting a coach or department to sign a waiver and moving on to another school for playing time or a position change or an evaluation of talent. Situations are different, but rules must be followed.

 

I misread his question. I thought he was wanting to know the eligibility requirements, not the process of transferring, but to add to your quote...

That's true, although with the new rules governing D1 baseball, there are very few, if any, transfers that were not inititiated by the coach (which can make for another interesting topic). Since the scholarships are annually, the coach has his one on one meetings to discuss the future of each player. In some cases, scholarships are taken away and the coach informs the student that he does not fit in their future plans. Those are the kids that you find are transferring. In other cases, a player that was embraced by his recruited coach, finds that coach has moved on and the current coach wants to bring in his "own" players. Again, at the end of the year meetings, the coach will tell the player that he is moving in a different direction and the player does not fit into his plans.

Those two scenarios make up the majority of the reasons for a transfer at the D1 level, and the coach and AD have always granted the release.

The D2 level is a unique situation. Because they are forced by their conferences to have JV or (Developmental squads), they will have 50 players in their program. Out of the 50 players, usually they will have only 7-10 on any kind of athletic scholarship. Since the majority of players are not on scholarship, the one's that ask for a release are granted.

There is the rare exception, and as Hoops pointed out....personalities sometimes play into it. But in college baseball, at least in NC & SC, the reason that players transfer is simply because his current coach has already told him he no longer fits in his plans. That was not true before the new NCAA baseball rules governing D1 schools and the change of policy regarding transfers.