Clemson’s Dabo Swinney not a fan of one-time player transfer rule. Here’s his plan
The ACC is on record that it supports a one-time transfer rule, which would allow student-athletes in all sports the opportunity to leave for another school once without penalty.
That doesn’t mean Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney agrees.
The most high-profile football coach in the Atlantic Coast Conference said following Clemson’s first spring practice of the year Wednesday that he believes the current rules should change, but he is against allowing all players to transfer once without penalty.
“I don’t like whatever’s been proposed. I don’t think that’s good,” Swinney said. “I don’t think it’s good for the player and I don’t think it’s good for college football. But I do think there needs to be some change. I think some of the rules are archaic and things like that. But nobody called me and asked me.”
Indeed, Swinney clarified that he was not asked for his opinion from the league before the ACC proclaimed its support of the new rule.
The NCAA announced earlier this month that it is seeking feedback on the potential rule change. Student-athletes are currently allowed to transfer once without penalty in all sports other than football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball and hockey.
Players should be able to transfer without penalty either after graduation or if their head coach leaves, Swinney said.
He believes that would clean up the hypocrisy some have complained about with the current system that allows coaches to leave at any time but not players.
“If you’re a graduate you should be able to go wherever you want to go. That’s the case as it is. And I also think another change should be if your head coach leaves or gets fired, you should be able to transfer,” Swinney said. “I believe that. But other than that, I think if you transfer you sit. It’s as simple as that.”
Swinney also suggested this change: If you transfer before graduating you have to sit out a year — but once you graduate you get the year back.
“So you really don’t lose anything, but at least it will slow down what’s going to happen. What’s kind of going on now with the graduates is going to go on to the freshmen. Gonna go to the midyears, gonna go to the sophomores,” Swinney said. “And that’s not good for college football. And it’s not good for the players. But that, to me, would clean it up and cut out some of the hypocrisy of it, too.”
Swinney believes the rule change that the NCAA is considering would hurt smaller schools that evaluate well. He also believes schools would recruit players enrolled at other colleges and encourage a transfer.
“It’s not gonna hurt Clemson. It’s gonna hurt a lot of other people. But I just think that would be a good way to clean it up. But nobody asked me. Nobody asked my opinion,” Swinney said. “So it doesn’t really matter what I think. If the objective is, ‘Oh, we should just be able to change it and go wherever you want to because the coaches can,’ well then why is it a one-time transfer? Coaches can leave this year, next year. Why can’t you leave every year? I think the intent is really good. I think there needs to be some common sense change to address the issue, but I don’t like what’s on the table right now.”
