Blue and Gold Illustrated

April 2020

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com APRIL 2020 9 UNDER THE DOME ovec took the transfer portal route to Boston College after last season and is currently working through his waiver review in hope of becoming immedi- ately eligible for the 2020 season. "The waivers have got us to this position," Brey said of players fleeing schools at a growing and alarming rate. "It's like the horse is out of the barn." If the no-hassle waiver route is keeping Brey up at night, check back in 2021 when a one-time transfer ex- emption rule is likely to be adopted. This initiative would allow stu- dent-athletes one penalty-free trans- fer opportunity to not sit out a year and become immediately eligible at their new school — it's kind of a get- out-of-first-school free card. The Atlantic Coast Conference — the league where Notre Dame plays all of its sports other than football (in- dependent) and hockey (Big Ten) — recently announced it has unanimous support among its member schools, though not among its coaches, of of- fering this one-time transfer exemp- tion to its higher-profile revenue ath- letic programs, including men's and women's basketball. "I'm really interested to hear if we have any ability to push [back]. I don't think we do," said Brey, who lost three transfers — D.J. Harvey, Elijah Burns and Chris Doherty — in less than a year. "I think we were all scared this was going to happen, and here it is." Notre Dame women's basketball coach Muffet McGraw believes offer- ing players a commitment-to-transfer mulligan will bring more dirty deal- ings to a college sport already strug- gling to clean up its image after the recruiting and financial scandals re- vealed by the FBI in September 2017. "I think people will be poaching from each other during the season," said McGraw, suggesting that the players waiting their turns for play- ing time will be the easiest targets. "It's going to really get ugly." With established programs at an academic-first university, McGraw and Brey don't expect to be as deeply impacted by this transfer bonanza as other schools will be, especially the second-tier mid-major programs that are already most susceptible to player poaching. Former Irish player and assistant coach Martin Ingelsby is in his fourth year as the head coach at Delaware of the Colonial Athletic Association and has twice already lost a top player to a power conference school via the transfer. In late June, star shooting guard Ith- iel Horton announced after a terrific freshman season that he was leav- ing Delaware. About two weeks after that, he committed to Pittsburgh. And about a month after that, Horton's relocation was complete and he was a member of the Panthers' basket- ball team. That's how quickly change comes, even before this one-time transfer exemption rule is in place. "Now, if they do allow kids to transfer and play right away, do we become like the NBA G League at this level, like the minor leagues, for the high-major schools where they're able to just fill a hole or come in and pluck a guy?" said Ingelsby, express- ing suspicion that the courtship be- tween Horton and Pitt was ongoing for some time. "I'm worried about it. It just becomes an open market. You could have recruiting going on in the handshake lines now." Irish head football coach Brian Kelly doesn't share the same transfer concerns as his Notre Dame basket- ball contemporaries. Citing his personal opportunity to move freely and without delay from Western Michigan to Cincinnati and then from Cincinnati to Notre Dame, Kelly believes players deserve the same unimpeded relocation opportunity. "If players want to move and move up, I don't have a problem with that," said Kelly, emphasizing one caveat to full transfer freedom. "This is about getting student-athletes to be student-athletes. So if there is a student-athlete component to trans- ferring, I'm fine with it." ✦ Blue & Gold Illustrated • P.O. Box 2331 • Durham, NC 27702 www.BlueGoldOnline.com/Store 800-421-7751 NOTRE DAME CUSTOM GRILL COVERS Item #6621 AVAILABLE IN 2 SIZES: Small: 60" wide x 36" tall x 21" deep $51.95 + $15.00 S&H Large: 72" wide x 36" tall x 21" deep $54.95 + $15.00 S&H CHOICE OF 3 LOGO DESIGNS: ND Shamrock • Interlocking ND Logo • Fighting Irish Leprechaun Commercial quality, breathable, heavy-duty outdoor vinyl Double-stitch construction • UV-resistant epoxy ink Moisture vent • Buckle clasp on each side Covers are made to order and ship direct from manufacturer Please allow up to 10 business days for processing "If players want to move and move up, I don't have a problem with that. This is about getting student-athletes to be student-athletes. So if there is a student-athlete component to transferring, I'm fine with it." NOTRE DAME FOOTBALL HEAD COACH BRIAN KELLY

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