It’s been an odd week in college football. First, the Department of Education rules that NIL should be shared equally among all sports. Multiple interpretations of that suggests everything from the end of NIL and Collectives to the breakaway of college football from NCAA sports.
While much of that is still open for legal interpretation, a new wrinkle was added to the new world of football roster management.
To be clear, this sounds less like financial greed and more about personal needs.
Lucas, who signed last year as a Rivals four star-rated high school prospect from South Florida, played in 11 games with 18 tackles in 2024. He requested a transfer after learning while home over the holidays that his father suffered a “serious, life-threatening illness,” according to Heitner. The school has refused to follow NCAA protocol requiring institutions to comply with a player’s transfer request by submitting his or her name to the portal within two business days.
Essentially, Wisconsin refused to enter his name in the portal, so Lucas decided to just take his ball and go home.
Lucas, a freshman this past season, withdrew from classes at Wisconsin and enrolled academically at Miami. By not formally signing with Miami, he presumably skirts any NCAA transfer rules. He enrolled for the fall 2025 semester but is expected to be reclassified to spring 2025,
The move, for now, avoids a legal filing. Heitner had planned to file suit against the NCAA and Wisconsin over antitrust claims related to the situation, accusing Wisconsin of blatantly violating NCAA rules by not inserting Lucas’ name into the portal as he requested and questioning the legality of the NCAA’s transfer portal.
Wisconsin officials have remained quiet on the situation. However, the school is declining to enter Lucas into the portal as he signed a two-year revenue-share agreement last month before requesting a transfer.
The NCAA, who we’ve seen previously deny eligibility for players who transferred to care for family reasons, has now taken a back seat to this and threw their hands in the air and said “so you’re saying the portal doesn’t even really exist? Okay, good move. You got us”.Seemingly, the institution that found it fashionable to regulate and fine point everything to the tune of handing out program “death penalties” has become the lazy parent sitting on their phone, playing Candy Crush, and letting the kids burn the house down in the process. It’s almost like they divorced themselves from something and their heart and heads just aren’t really in it anymore.
Makes it seem more primed and possible for college football to break away further from anything remotely resembling what it used to be.
I’ve said for years the Power 4 plus a few should break away from the NCAA for all sports and form a new organization to govern college sports at the highest level. If that means a CBA at this point, so be it.
Comparing the NCAA to a parent playing Candy Crush while their kids burn the house down insults the parent. The NCAA is allowing this to happen because they believe that’s the best way to get their long-sought antitrust exemption. The NCAA wants the house to burn down, so they can collect the insurance proceeds. If a couple of kids die as a result, well, to make an omelet, you have to break a few eggs.
Yeah, at this point, the NCAA is just trolling us.
I agree with you that it is the NCAA with regards to basketball. However, it is the conferences with the power in regard to football. And if the P4 conferences break away from the NCAA, I would actually think it would be the top 30-40 schools that would break away from the P4 to form their own minor league that pays universities to wear branded gear and to play in on campus stadiums.
So sick of all things NIL and the Transfer Portal.
And now, here is your 6 o’clock latest nil program forecast, it’s gonna’ be raining green with more green in the extended future, not to fear, there will be continued moments of student athletes national travel plans in fairly descent shape, plus extended overcast to severely dark days with windy conditions for reasonable roster management, near shore waters recruiting extremely choppy, stay tuned for any and all local events, your destination and time of deposit may change….#GO DAWGS!!
“New car, caviar, four star daydream
Think I’ll buy me a football team”….
Pink Floyd was always ahead of their time
Sadly not allowing transfers for these type of reasons fits the old ncaa model. I remember a GA player having that issue not because of UGA but because of the NCAA.
That would be TE Luke Ford who was denied the ability to play right away if he transferred home to Illinois to be closer to his sick grandfather. That was a totally illegitimate reason on his part for him wanting to transfer unlike the TOTALLY legitimate reason Justin Fields could transfer and play right away. (That reason being Justin Fields had a better PR team and better lawyers)
Next up, pre-playoff transfers. Imagine if we paid Milroe to come fill-in for Beck. Easy legal case…if the NCAA is not going to enforce rules, then you can show a court there are no rules and they have already lost every case that infringes on the right of a SA to earn money.
It’s time to get CFB away from the NCAA with a new set of rules including a salary cap and revenue.
Wisconsin wouldn’t release a kid for a family emergency situation? Color me skeptical.