UCLA quarterback Colson Yankoff, who transferred from Washington, has so far been unable to obtain immediate eligibility for this season, according to sources.
The primary snag in the 6-4, 205-pound Yankoff becoming immediately eligible is, in fact, the University of Washington.
Even though there is a new, easier NCAA process for transferring, which includes the NCAA transfer portal, all conference and NCAA transfer rules still apply.
The Pac-12 has its own rule that intra-conference transfers must sit out a year. Any player transferring between Pac-12 conference schools who wishes to not sit out would have to compel his original school to waive that intra-conference penalty before his case even gets to the conference or NCAA level.
In May, after Yankoff entered the transfer portal, the University of Washington informed him it would not support a waiver of the intra-conference rule. This was done in writing, without Yankoff having yet requested a release from the rule, according to sources.
Yankoff and his attorneys appealed, which led to a hearing conducted internally by the University of Washington. Ultimately, Washington administrators denied Yankoff’s appeal.
With Yankoff having transferred to UCLA, UCLA's compliance office could file an appeal with the NCAA, and is preparing one, according to sources close to the situation. The NCAA has, in appeals cases, historically on occasion overrode the decision of the original school, but it's rare.
Washington could still grant Yankoff a waiver for immediate eligibility at any time. The Pac-12 conference and the NCAA would then have to also sign off. The NCAA also has its own rule that transfers have to sit out a year before being eligible, but commonly the NCAA doesn't enforce the rule if the original school waives the intra-conference penalty.
Yankoff, who was a four-star prospect in the 2018 high school class out of Coeur d’Alene (Idaho), didn’t play in his first season at Washington last year, and utilized his available redshirt year for sitting out the season. With his transfer to UCLA, if Yankoff can't gain eligibility for the 2019 season, he will lose a year of eligibility, and be eligible to play as a redshirt sophomore at UCLA for the 2020 season.
