COMMENTARY
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Quarterback Austin Kendall has fulfilled his obligation to the University of Oklahoma, earning a diploma in December. Despite that fact, Kendall is not able to play college football anywhere he wants next season.
Even whilst welcoming in Alabama graduate transfer Jalen Hurts on Wednesday, Oklahoma is preventing Kendall from immediate eligibility at West Virginia, and the Sooners are able to do so thanks to a failure to specifically address the graduate transfer phenomenon in the Big 12 rule book.
According to section 6.3.1 of the Big 12 bylaws, a student-athlete transferring between member institutions must sit out a year of competition unless they receive a written waiver from the athletic director of their original school.
“Any consent given relating to intraconference transfer may be unconditional or conditioned on the student-athlete completing an academic year in residence at the second Member Institution before competing,” the rule states.
“Any consent given relating to intraconference transfer may be unconditional or conditioned on the student-athlete completing an academic year in residence at the second Member Institution before competing,” per Big 12 rules
Unlike the Big 12, the Southeastern Conference last summer passed a specific amendment addressing graduate transfers between member institutions. Per the SEC rule, any transfer who has completed their undergraduate degree is immediately eligible if they transfer within the conference. There is no language mentioning graduate transfers in the Big 12’s bylaws, therefore leaving them under the same set of rules as undergraduate transfers.
That means Kendall could sign with West Virginia, but would lose one of his two remaining years of eligibility by sitting out in 2019. If he transfers to a school in any other conference, he can play for two seasons. Kendall has already visited Auburn, but is also interested in WVU.
Kendall has spent the last three years backing up a pair of Heisman Trophy winners in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. Both quarterbacks transferred to Oklahoma from other schools — including Mayfield from Big 12 member Texas Tech — but sat out a season because they were undergrads.
Graduate transfers are typically eligible to play immediately. Hurts will be on the field for the Sooners this season even though there’s a chance of Oklahoma again facing Alabama in the College Football Playoff.
Oklahoma is intentionally placing a roadblock in front of Kendall. The Big 12 rules require the school to respond to a student-athlete’s transfer request within seven days, or “consent shall be granted by default.” That means the Sooners have specifically attempted to prevent Kendall from coming to West Virginia or any other Big 12 school.
The league’s rules provide an opportunity for student-athletes to receive a hearing for their transfer upon written request.
Oklahoma’s position with Kendall is draconian in comparison to recent Big 12 decisions. Kansas State quarterback Alex Delton, a graduate, is transferring to conference rival TCU and will be eligible to play next season. This past season, safety John Bonney transferred from Texas to Texas Tech at the start of August camp without any fight from the Longhorns.