This should not be complicated. We've had this discussion a number of times in past threads. All scholarship offers should be 4-5 year scholarship offers. I'll re-offer my opinion:
All players who transfer should have to sit out a year to gain eligibility to play, with the following exceptions:
1. If the school fails to renew a 1-year, the player is eligible to transfer to ANY school of their choice and have immediate eligibility. The school can restrict restrict transfer to another school and cause the transferring player to spend a year in residency by not filling that scholarship for the ensuing year. This would allow players cut to have immediate eligibility, without restriction, or if restricted, the school would suffer with 1 less scholarship athlete.
2. If the head coach is fired, resigns, retires, or otherwise leaves the program. The kids are supposed to commit to the school, not the coach, but let's face it, it's the coaching staff, the style of play, and the system that the player is involved with day-to-day. If the match between player and coach/system is no longer good, then the player should not be penalized because the staff/style changed.
3. The student-athlete is eligible to play immediately if they are not on scholarship. In other words, if the student-athlete is willing to pay their own way for the year in residency, then he would have immediate eligibility. A scholarship can be provided to the student-athlete for the year-in-residency, but if that happens, the transfer is required to not participate.
No hardship waivers, no sick family waivers, no other waivers. If someone wants to transfer back to be closer to a sick relative, fine. They can spend that first year of residency spending time with their sick relative, providing care for his family, etc. instead of playing football on Saturdays. I have no problem with the year in residency not counting as a year of eligibility.