All articles tagged with #five for five
A Colorado federal judge issued a class-wide injunction ordering the NCAA to allow 2022-era athletes who exhausted four seasons to play a fifth season, potentially triggering an August transfer portal window and major roster reshuffling as the NCAA appeals and litigation around the NCAA’s five-year eligibility framework continues.
The NCAA approved a blanket five-year clock: athletes have five years to play five seasons, to be completed within five years of high school graduation or turning 19, whichever comes first, with limited exceptions for religious missions, maternity leave, and military service. Redshirts effectively end and the change aims to close waivers and lawsuits that stretched eligibility to six or seven years, potentially altering football development and roster composition while also tightening basketball eligibility by closing international loopholes. Current student-athletes and future prospects face transition rules, including a July 31 deadline for hardship waiver requests and varying application of the new model for cohorts through 2027.
The NCAA Division I Board of Directors recommended that the Division I Cabinet pursue a new age-based rule giving student-athletes five years of eligibility, starting in the academic year after they turn 19 or graduate high school, with no grandfathering for current athletes. The 2025-26 cohort would still follow four seasons in five years, and the rule could take effect as early as 2026-27, potentially eliminating redshirts and waivers except in limited cases. The plan also preserves degree-completion funding for up to 10 years after eligibility expires. Final adoption awaits the Cabinet’s discussion in May. Some coaches, including Ohio State and Ole Miss, voiced support for the change.