I know this is too much to ask but I'd rather transfer eligibility be decided on a case by case basis rather than by archaic or inappropriate NCAA rules. Let's look at Joe. The fact is that under normal circumstances, he should have had to sit out a year transferring from VA Tech to GW if in fact that a: the change allowing everyone to not have to sit out a year on a first-time transfer and b) Covid. Again, if we are only looking at the reason for the transfer, which in this case was to receive more playing time, Joe should have sat. Every other year (coach gets fired, dad is legitimately ill) should have resulted in his ability to play right away.
I understand that there's probably 1,000 ways to abuse this system but the NCAA can make things tougher. For example, proof of medical records. Maybe even build in a deterrent (beyond sitting out a season) to attempt to transfer when it's not truly justified. (In other words, make players think twice about trying to transfer unless it's completely justified.)
Transferring in order to play more is fine...but you should sit out a year under these circumstances. Transferring in order to receive a better NIL deal is fine...but you should sit out a year under these circumstances. If you don't like this, then you are advocating for the complete chaos within the portal that is presently upon us.
Let's let the real reason for the transfer determine whether a player should sit or not, regardless of whether it's a first-time transfer, regardless of how many times a player has transferred.