Langevin celebrates U SPORTS transfer eligibility changes

By Lethbridge Herald on September 22, 2025.

Herald File Photo Neil Langevin, Executive Director of Athletics and Recreation with the University of Lethbridge, emphasized the change is to help with student-athletes needs.

By Nathan Reiter

Lethbridge Herald- Local Journalism Initiative Reporter 

The winds of change are blowing across the U SPORTS landscape.

In a press release last week, U SPORTS announced new transfer rules that will allow first or second year student-athletes to transfer without penalty.

Neil Langevin is the Executive Director of Athletics and Recreation with the University of Lethbridge. In an interview with the Herald, Langevin explained that the new policy focuses on the individual needs of student-athletes. 

“I think that it’s important that it’s about student-athletes and these rules are fundamentally different in that it gives student-athletes in their first two years an opportunity to change schools without having to sit out 365 days, which was the requirement of the old regulation if they transferred schools.”

Third, fourth or fifth year athletes will be able to transfer without penalty if they receive an unencumbered transfer or successfully apply for a compassionate appeal. A student-athlete will be an unencumbered transfer if their previous school supports their decision. In order to receive a compassionate appeal, a student-athlete must provide documentation supporting their request to transfer and attend a verbal hearing. 

Previously, non-graduating student-athletes were required to sit out for 365 days unless they were making academic progression or competing in cross-country, swimming, or track and field which had exemptions.

The new changes to U SPORTS are similar to nature to what has happened in the NCAA south of the border. In 2024, the NCAA removed restrictions on the number of times academically eligible student-athletes can transfer as long as they maintain good academic standing and enter the portal within designated windows for their sport. The transfer portal has been most prevalent in sports such as basketball and football.

While Lethbridge is a smaller market and features less varsity sports then several of their Canada West competitors, Langevin says he expects the Pronghorns to see a net gain in student-athletes from the change.

“We’ve been talking about this around the U SPORTS table for about five years. When the ideas first came out, I have to be honest as a small school, I thought our school would likely be one of the schools with potential to lose athletes. In the last three years, we’ve actually been a net of over 20 athletes into our institution from other schools, and the only athletes we’ve lost have gone to grad programs. I think this actually has potential to help us out. This year alone, we have nine athletes that are currently sitting out an entire calendar year.”

While the new rules do allow more freedom for student-athletes, Langevin says there are still portions he thinks can be expanded on in the future. 

“I think it didn’t go far enough. I would like to have seen a five-year, at any time, you get one transfer. As well, I would like to see us get rid of the compassionate appeal process. To be honest, it’s been problematic in terms of it’s very difficult to determine what one person’s compassion level is, and whether or not they get cleared. I would have also liked to see U SPORTS remove the need to have both schools agree, just in order to make sure that there’s no schools that are going to hold this up, because it is in the best interest of student-athletes to follow their wishes.”

“I honestly forecast in another two years, we’ll be looking to change this policy and make it full. The other area that we need to address in terms of the sitting out of the calendar year. Any athletes who have played in the NCAA, we should remove that and allow them to play instantly here in Canada.”

With the new era of freedom allowed to student-athletes in U SPORTS, it will be a new challenge for institutions to make the best experience possible to keep student-athletes from transferring.

Langevin pointed out the work done by athletics director Spencer Pommells and Vice Provost (Students) Kathleen Massey for Pronghorn student-athletes as positive steps.

“In the athletic department here, we’ve been very purposeful the last five years. We’ve worked on improving the student athlete experience in all sorts of ways, making sure we take care of them on the road. We’ve put a lot more money back into the sports science of it into nutrition, mental skills, sleep, strength and conditioning quite a bit, even got into a little bit of supplements and hydration things this year, as well as way more technology. We’ve also been very mindful overall of the student athlete experience. Our student academic advisory section here on the campus, they’ve been wonderful to take care of our student-athletes. We survey and meet with athletes throughout the year and they’ve reported back. It’s a pretty good place to be a student-athlete.”

The new U SPORTS transfer eligibility rules will take place for the 2026-27 season.