One of the biggest questions surrounding Penn State in the wake of heavy NCAA sanctions is whether players will begin to transfer en masse.

They have been given the opportunity to leave school and become immediately eligible elsewhere, should they decide to move on. Many of you have wondered whether that means the Big East should prepare for an influx of Penn State players, considering many on the roster hail from the league footprint in the Northeast.

You can guess that schools like Pitt, UConn, Rutgers, Syracuse and Temple might be logical landing spots because of their proximity to State College, and familiarity during the recruiting process. Cincinnati could as well. But the issue is much more complicated than simply opening your football doors and shouting, “Welcome!” to anybody interested.

First here are the rules for contact, as set out by the NCAA:

• Penn State cannot restrict a student-athlete from pursuing a possible transfer. Student-athletes must simply tell Penn State they have an interest in transferring. Interested schools also must inform Penn State of their intentions to talk to players.
• Any incoming or currently enrolled football player interested in taking an official or unofficial visit will be allowed to do so during the 2012-13 academic year, no matter how many visits they took during their recruitment.
• The NCAA is also considering waiving scholarship limits for programs that accept Penn State transfers, provided they reduce proportionately in the next year.

Let's remember teams are going to have to evaluate whether they have open scholarships, and whether they have a need the prospective player can fill. Several coaches at ACC media days Monday said there has to be a fit before they give consideration to accepting a Penn State transfer.

Some coaches, like Tom O’Brien at NC State, said you would be crazy not to consider adding a player interested in transferring. Others said they would be more cautious about taking on a player they know nothing about.

In the case of the Big East, many of the Penn State players chose the Nittany Lions over league schools. So there could be more interest there. Desmond Conner of The Hartford Courant has already reported UConn interest in several players from the area.

But it is all too early in the process to begin speculating about who is going where, particularly since fall practice opens in 10 days at some places. And let’s not forget, no Penn State player has made his thoughts known about the prospect of transferring as of early this week.

This certainly will be a story line to watch in the coming days and weeks, and you can bet we will be asking Big East coaches about it next week at the conference media days.

So stay tuned.