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After an NCAA Division I Council vote on Wednesday, it has been decided that all Div. I athletes who were sitting out due to transfer rules will be granted immediate eligibility.
In women’s basketball, this means the No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies will benefit from the eligibility of Tennessee Lady Volunteers transfer Zaay Green, who made the All-SEC Freshman Team in 2018-19 before sitting out most of 2019-20 with an injury.
Penn State Nittany Lions transfer Kamaria McDaniel is currently rehabbing her knee following surgery, so she will not play for the Baylor Lady Bears right away. However, McDaniel was the top scorer in Big Ten play last season with a scoring average of 20.8 points.
Baylor still benefits from the rule change — UCLA Bruins transfer Jaden Owens is now available.
Most of the other transfers in the Top 10 had already be granted eligibility.
Caroline Lee, the vice chair of the Division-I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, had the following to say of the decision:
We are thrilled at the passing of the blanket waiver as we believe it is in line with D1 SAAC, ensuring that all of our student-athletes have the best opportunity to thrive both academically and athletically. In a time of great uncertainty amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, we feel it is in our best interest to grant immediate eligibility for those who have transferred in order to best support their mental health and well-being.
Any permanent changes to transfer rules will be discussed in January.