Lane Kiffin: Players facing postponed seasons should be able to transfer immediately

While the Big Ten and Pac-12 have postponed football seasons due to the coronavirus pandemic, SEC programs are moving forward with plans for fall campaigns until otherwise directed. 

Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin believes players from the Big Ten, Pac-12, and other idle conferences and universities should receive transfer waivers and become immediately eligible to play if they wish. 

Per ESPN's Alex Scarborough, Kiffin discussed the matter during a Tuesday appearance on the SEC Network: 

"Kids are having their schools or their conferences deciding to shut down, so they can't play, and a lot of them have a lot of money on the line with the next level, or they just want to play their last year. So it's really unfortunate that the NCAA is not allowing them to transfer and be eligible immediately. We're being told that won't even go into a waiver process, so I feel really bad for those kids. It's not their fault. Why can't they come play somewhere? That doesn't make any sense to me."

NFL prospects currently associated with schools or conferences that won't play this fall because of the uncontrolled virus outbreak face a difficult decision. Unless the league pushes dates for the combine, individual workouts, and the draft back by several months, collegiate springtime football formats will conflict with each of those portions of the pro calendar. 

Michigan's Jalen Mayfield and USC defensive tackle Jay Tufele are two noteworthy players who have already begun preparing for next year's NFL draft instead of waiting for a college season that won't kick off until January at the earliest. 

It seems likely others will follow unless the NCAA offers waivers to athletes who, otherwise, can't compete this fall.