ACC Now Allowing Athletes To Transfer Within Conference Without Penalty

The ACC announced on Monday that it is eliminating the league's intraconference transfer rule, which means athletes will no longer be penalized for transferring to another program within the conference.

Brett McMurphy with Stadium shared that news from the ACC via his Twitter account. Plus, he added a comment from league commissioner Jim Phillips, which reads: "This decision is in the best interest of our student-athletes, as it allows greater flexibility during their collegiate careers."

This is obviously big news for the ACC -- and college football.

We're quickly heading towards a one-time waiver for athletes, but even if that comes down from the NCAA, conferences would still need to give their stamp of approval. This is the ACC's way of saying the league won't stand in the way of players attempting to stay in the conference.

The immediate question for many following the news: will the SEC and other conferences follow suit?

At this point, the assumption should be yes. It wouldn't be good optics to prevent athletes from making a move in conference, especially when other leagues are willing to do so. Agree or disagree, this is the direction college athletics are heading.

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.