NCAA Division II Management Council Supports Transfer Portal Model

Last week, the NCAA‘s Division II Management Council officially came out in support of the transfer portal model used in Division I. D-II could adopt the format in January.

The DII Management Council took positions on five proposals for next year’s NCAA Convention. The transfer portal issue is the headliner: it mirrors a move that Division I made back in 2018, replacing the old “permission to contact” system. Here’s a simplified look at what the old and proposed new systems look/looked like:

Permission-to-Contact:

If a swimmer wants to transfer, they must ask their current coach for a release or a permission to contact letter. A coach can refuse to release the swimmer to specific schools or to all schools – the release allows the current school to use that athlete’s scholarship on another swimmer, and also allows that swimmer to transfer without having to sit out a season.

Transfer Portal:

If a swimmer wants to transfer, they must inform their current coach. Their school must submit their information to the NCAA Transfer Portal within seven calendar days of the swimmer’s request.

The Division II membership will vote on the rule proposal in January. Other proposals supported by the Management Council:

• A rolling back on conference member requirements. Division II currently requires conferences to have at least 8 active member schools, but that requirement is set to increase to 10 in 2022. The new proposal would keep the requirement at just 8.
• Two basketball-specific proposals, one about the recruiting calendar and the other on calculating hardship waivers.
• A golf-specific proposal about tryout lengths.