Bruce LSU Presser

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[aubiefifty 16,799]

al.com

 

Auburn’s Bruce Pearl expressed frustration over two-time transfer rule changes

Published: Jan. 11, 2024, 4:05 p.m.

3–4 minutes

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No. 16 Auburn celebrates 66-55 victory over Texas A&M

The ripple effect of a December court decision allowing immediate eligibility to two-time transfers is going to hit Auburn this weekend. Jalen Cook — an LSU guard that Bruce Pearl initially recruited buy was told not to because he was not expected to be eligible as a two-time transfer — will face Auburn on Saturday at Neville Arena.

Previously, a player transferring for a second time before graduation was required to sit out a year. But on Dec. 14, a federal judge in West Virginia granted a 14-day temporary restraining order in a court case where seven states had filed lawsuits against the NCAA over the transfer rule.

The restraining order allowed immediate eligibility for those two-time transfers. As a result of the order, the NCAA changed its rule to allow two-time transfer who moves schools before the end of the 2023-24 athletic year to be allowed to play in 2024-25.

The change has frustrated Pearl. During a press conference Thursday to preview the upcoming matchup against LSU, Pearl discussed his complaint over the new rules. Here’s what he said:

“(Cook) would’ve been a two-time transfer, and we were told by our compliance office — who had been told by the NCAA — that two-time transfers would not be eligible,” Pearl said. “And so we’re gonna be playing a number of players in our league that we chose to not recruit because we assumed that the rules would be adhered to and not changed midseason.”

“Yeah, I suppose now that you look at the transfer portal and say, well, if there was a one-time transfer rule where you would be eligible after one semester, I guess that doesn’t exist,” Pearl said later in the press conference. “My problem is not in the rule change. My problem is: How do you change the rule in the middle of the season? We’ll be playing against teams with one, two or even three players that were ineligible to play, but because of a rule change in the middle of a semester are now playing. I just don’t understand.

“Again, what’s next? What’s next is a student-athlete is going to say, ‘Well, I’m just not going to go to class. I’m not going to worry about being eligible with my 24 hours at a certain grade point average. I’m not going to be concerned about getting 6-% of my degree by my third year. It’s just a rule, and if that rule harms me in some way by preventing me from life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, I’ll just go to court and sue over the fact that -- threaten to sue -- that you can’t do this to me.’”

Matt Cohen covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @Matt_Cohen_ or email him at mcohen@al.com