By: Kipp Branch

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

In America millions of workers change jobs on an annual basis. Many organizations train and develop workers in their field of expertise and lose them to other organizations for a variety of reasons.

This is the norm in a capitalist society and employers have adapted to this. If the NCAA has their way this could be the norm for college football if adopted this coming April.

The proposed rule is as follows:

First-time transfers starting in the 2020 academic year would no longer have to follow the long standing sit out a year rule in their first season at their new school.

The proposal is being fast-tracked. Because it is a “criteria change” to the NCAA waiver process and not a new “rule change,” it can avoid the regular legislative cycle and take effect well before the NCAA convention next January.

Doesn’t that sound just peachy? College football coaches seem to be totally against this idea, and with good reason.

Former UGA Head Coach Mark Richt tweeted the following on the proposed new transfer rule: “I know, I have an idea,” Richt wrote in a message that went viral, “You recruit and develop players and when I think they’re good enough I will poach them from your roster! Welcome to what the new normal will look like in college football!”

Currently for a transfer to play immediately you have to receive a special waiver from the NCAA. There lies the problem.

The NCAA has not been consistent with the existing rule and now it appears that they want to go the generic route and just allow each student athlete an automatic option to transfer penalty free if they so choose.

I use the University of Georgia as an example to show the hypocrisy of the NCAA recently:

Jacob Eason was the top-rated Pro Style QB in the country for the 2016 cycle. Eason started many games as a freshman at UGA. Eason got hurt in the season opener his sophomore season and never regains the starting job from Jake Fromm. Eason decided he wanted to transfer back to his home State of Washington but had to sit out a season per NCAA rule.

Justin Fields was the top-rated dual threat QB in the country for the 2018 recruiting cycle. Fields came in and played some and was Jake Fromm’s backup. Fields decided he wanted to transfer to Ohio State and the NCAA granted an immediate waiver for Fields to play right away.

Why was Fields given preferential treatment over Eason when they were in the same position on the depth chart when they left UGA?

Then you have Luke Ford, a five-star TE in the 2018 cycle from Illinois, that transferred from UGA to be closer to a sick family member and the NCAA denied the waiver to play immediately for Ford.

This is exactly what the special waiver was designed for, right? But the NCAA, in all of its infinite wisdom, in these three cases seemed to only care about Ohio State’s QB situation, rather than what’s best for the individual student athlete.

Fields did have a high-priced lawyer representing him in his endeavors.

Can you see SEC head football coaches poaching other SEC rosters waving their current depth charts?

If the NCAA wants chaos then you are about to have it. What if Tua was poached to Auburn by Gus Malzahn when he sat behind Jalen Hurts his freshman year at Alabama? You would have had a civil war in the State of Alabama most likely.

Will Kirby, Coach O, Nick, and Gus hire a new assistant coach with the sole responsibility of poaching other Power 5 rosters?

Chaos is on the horizon and it appears you can throw developing roster depth out with the bath water. What else would you expect from the NCAA?

College sports, along with society, appears to be caving in to the entitlement mentally. Get ready for the new normal College Football fans.