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NCAA Division I VP: Rules for graduate transfers may change

(Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)
(Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)

Kevin Lennon, the NCAA’s new vice president for Division I governance, wants to take a close look at the high number of transfers in collegiate athletics.

In an interview with the Associated Press, Lennon said that several ideas have been discussed, including allowing schools to restrict where players can transfer and requiring graduate transfers to sit out a year before becoming eligible.

“If you’re transferring to be in a graduate program, the NCAA wants you to be working in earnest toward that degree rather than just using up your last year of eligibility,” Lennon told the AP.

The NCAA’s current rules for graduate transfers allow players with bachelor’s degrees to gain immediate eligibility at another institution if they enroll in graduate classes. That could change “sometime in the next year,” per the AP.

Lennon, who replaced David Berst on April 6, has been in contact with school officials to seek input on how to address the ever-increasing number of transfers.

"You have one line of thinking that says when a student has earned their undergraduate degree they've earned the right to go wherever they want without any kind of NCAA restrictions," Lennon said. "I think, unfortunately, what the data has shown is that people are transferring and they are not completing their graduate degrees because the vast majority of those degrees are two years."

Lennon is looking into measures to address transfers among undergraduates as well. Data shows that on average “transfers lose about nine months of academic credit” and “concern among university leaders is high.”

Other issues on Lennon’s agenda include implementing cost-of-attendance scholarships, advising schools on the effects of the Ed O’Bannon lawsuit, investigating additional “academic reforms,” and examining the increasing costs associated with the NCAA Division I championships. Per the AP, expenses from the Division I championships jumped from $68.8 million in 2011-12 to $98.1 million in 2013-14.

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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!