The NCAA appears one step closer to allowing student-athletes a one-time, penalty-free transfer, an idea Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh first proposed last summer.

On Tuesday, the sanctioning body for collegiate sports in the United States said a concept is currently under consideration to allow just that, and remains contingent on approval from the Division I council.

From a news release issued this afternoon:

“The current system is unsustainable. Working group members believe it’s time to bring our transfer rules more in line with today’s college landscape,” said Mid-American Conference commissioner Jon Steinbrecher, who also doubles as the working group’s chairperson.

“This concept provides a uniform approach that is understandable, predictable and objective. Most importantly, it benefits students.”

Under the proposal, student-athletes who play football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, ice hockey and baseball -- the five NCAA-sanctioned sports not covered under the rule -- would be approved for a waiver if they:

-- Receive a transfer release from their previous school;

-- Leave their previous school academically eligible;

-- Maintain academic progress at the new school;

-- Leave under no disciplinary suspension

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Currently, all student-athletes who participate in sports not listed above are allowed to transfer without penalty.

“More than a third of all college students transfer at least once, and the Division I rule prohibiting immediate competition for students who play Division I sports who play five sports hasn’t discouraged them from transferring," Steinbrecher continued.

“This dynamic has strained the waiver process, which was designed to handle extenuating and extraordinary circumstances.”

Late last month, it was reported by CBS Sports that the Big Ten had quietly proposed legislation to the NCAA to do just that. Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel came out publicly in support of the idea, calling it “the right thing to do.”

Harbaugh proposed the idea last summer at Big Ten Media Days in Chicago, just as he and his fellow colleagues in the Big Ten (and around the country) were being bombarded with waiver requests from players transferring programs seeking immediate eligibility.

Of course, Harbaugh and his program benefitted from one such waiver, for quarterback Shea Patterson, obtaining immediate eligibility in 2018 for the Ole Miss transfer.

Michigan State administrators have not publicly commented on the debate, though MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo said in 2017 he was against one-time, penalty-free transfers, just as he admitted they would eventually happen.

Under the proposed rule, student-athletes who transfer schools more than once will still have to sit out a year. Currently, NCAA rules stipulate that all student-athletes have five years to play four collegiate seasons.

No word yet on how quickly this could be passed, but a moratorium placed on transfer discussion by the NCAA Board of Directors extends through the 2019-20 legislate calendar. So, in theory, the new rule could be in place for the 2020-21 year.

Keep an eye on this.