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When it comes to being unpredictable, nothing tops Chicago weather, moody teenagers and the NCAA.
The NCAA especially seems to operate on nonsensical whims when it comes to college athletes who want to transfer and play immediately at their new schools.
There have been some glaring examples during this football offseason as the NCAA granted wishes like a fairy godmother to quarterbacks who appeared to transfer for more playing time, then shooed away pleas like a dismissive king from players who have ailing family members and moved to colleges closer to their homes.
The NCAA doesn’t typically reveal why it grants some waivers of the mandatory “year in residence” for transfers and denies others. Illinois tight end Luke Ford is one player left wondering why his waiver request was denied.
Ford — the top-rated recruit in Illinois in the Class of 2018 — transferred from Georgia to Illinois in January, citing his grandparents’ failing health and his desire to play closer to home. He’s from Carterville, Ill., which is about 190 miles south of Champaign, and Illinois is one of the closest major football programs to his hometown.
The NCAA in 2012 established a distance limit of 100 miles in cases like Ford’s.
An Illinois spokesman said in a statement Wednesday that the program is disappointed in the decision to deny Ford’s waiver request and plans to help him appeal.
“My Waiver got denied,” Ford tweeted Wednesday. “Thanks for all your support. It’s all in the Lord’s timing.”
Apparently, it’s also up to the NCAA’s whims.
The NCAA also this week denied a waiver for immediate eligibility for offensive lineman Brock Hoffman, who transferred from Coastal Carolina to Virginia Tech to be closer to his mother. She had surgery in 2017 to remove a brain tumor and now struggles with facial paralysis and hearing and eyesight loss, but Hoffman said on Twitter that the NCAA denied his request because his hometown is five miles outside the 100-mile radius and because it said his mother’s condition is improving.
“Don’t let the NCAA take football away from me this season when others get a free pass for playing time issues!” Hoffman tweeted along with photos of his mom with stitches in her head.
Earlier this offseason, the NCAA granted waivers to quarterbacks Justin Fields, who transferred from Georgia to Ohio State, and Tate Martell, who transferred from Ohio State to Miami. Both appeared to switch schools in search of more playing time.
There’s a good argument that the NCAA should allow players to do that without limitations. After all, when is the last time a coach had to sit out a year for switching schools?
Chicago Tribune Sports
But when it denies players such as Ford and Hoffman, the NCAA reminds everyone of its clandestine ways. The lack of consistency and transparency adds to its reputation as an organization that exploits unpaid labor.
The NCAA last week approved logical rule changes that make transferring fairer to players. Incoming freshmen who enrolled in summer school and received financial aid will be allowed to transfer and play immediately if their head coach leaves before fall classes begin. Walk-ons can transfer without waivers and play immediately. The new transfer portal helps players switch schools more easily without their former school being able to block them.
All good steps.
But then decisions like the ones on Hoffman and Ford deserve a forehead smack.
The NCAA just needs to get out of its own way. Granting waivers to Hoffman and Ford would be a logical place to start.
Twitter @sryantribune
[ Tight end Luke Ford, the state's top recruit in 2018, transferring to Illinois from Georgia ]
[ College basketball recruiting tracker: Top-50 recruit Kofi Cockburn signs with Illinois ]
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