The last 20 years have seen an influx of college athletes going to school for just one year and then jumping to the pro level in basketball while football players leave early all the time as well after their junior year or redshirt sophomore year. The Big Ten appears ready to make some changes that would have a huge ripple effect on every other conference around the country.
The conference is considering the idea of making freshmen athletes ineligible for competition. The statement is calling for a “national discussion regarding a year of readiness for student-athletes”. It is a shocking thought to see college basketball players who excelled in high school needing to sit out a year but it is something that was done in all NCAA sports until 1972.
If the Big Ten decides to go through with this, the question is what happens with the rest of the major conferences around the country. Are the SEC, Big 12, ACC and Pac-12 going to join the Big Ten then? The NBA has wanted the age limit to be raised to 20 which may be coming into play here. It is something that would change college basketball for sure and bears some serious watching over the next few months.
