Houston coach Tom Herman has a good idea about player transfers

The NCAA’s transfer rules are some of its most unjust policies. The association forces its unpaid athletes to sit out a year after transferring, even if their circumstances change at their first schools, such as coaching changes. Schools can also block transfers to certain schools.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart was criticized for refusing to allow players to transfer to Miami and follow former coach Mark Richt.

Even the NCAA’s most relaxed transfer rule -- the graduate transfer rule, which allows plays to avoid sitting out a year if they have already graduated from their previous school -- is under scrutiny. Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski recently called for that rule to be abolished.

But at least one coach has a refreshing view on transfers. Houston coach Tom Herman said on the Paul Finebaum Show that he likes the grad transfer rule, and also favors allowing athletes to transfer without sitting out a year in the case of a coaching change.

I think that, as much as we want the exterior to look like a young man is going to pick a school based on the school and the school alone and it have nothing to do with the people, I think that’s living with our head in the sand a little bit. I think that the current transfer standards are okay where they’re at. If you’re asking my opinion how could they be changed or benefit the student-athlete if there is a coaching change a student-athlete should be able to leave on his own accord and be eligible immediately.

Herman is not entirely progressive on transfers. He still said he prefers a “cooling-off period” of one year for transfers who just aren’t happy at their current school. Since athletes are unpaid and without technical employment contracts, the one-year non-compete has been criticized by players’ rights activists.

However, Herman’s position gets to the heart of why transfer hard-liners’ positions aren’t based in reality.