Colorado Judge Grants Extra NCAA Eligibility Year
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- Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court of Colorado granted a class-wide preliminary injunction Friday requiring the NCAA to declare athletes from the high school class of 2022 eligible for a fifth season.
- The order opens the transfer portal from Aug. 3 through Aug. 10, applying to athletes who completed four years of eligibility under prior NCAA rules during the 2025-26 season.
- The ruling lands alongside the NCAA's new five-for-five eligibility model taking effect this academic year, which gives all athletes five years to play five seasons — a policy shift the injunction now partially supersedes for the 2022 class.
- NCAA President Charlie Baker blasted the ruling in a statement released shortly after it was issued.
- Similar eligibility challenges are moving through other courts: an Ohio state judge opened the door for 15 men's basketball players including Xavier's Filip Borovicanin and Cincinnati's MJ Collins for 2026-27, while a California age-based lawsuit includes former UCLA guard Donova Dent and Texas guard Jordan Pope.
- Many athletes the ruling would cover already signed NBA contracts — standard, two-way, or Exhibit 10 deals — after last month's draft and summer league, complicating whether they would actually return to campus.
- Notable names now potentially eligible include former NC State forward Darrion Williams, Iowa State guard Tamin Lipsey, and Florida guard Denzel Aberdeen, who could rejoin the Gators as they chase a second national title in three years.
- The NCAA is expected to appeal, which could render the entire eligibility restoration moot before the portal even closes.
Why it matters: Coaches built 2026-27 rosters assuming the class of 2022 was done, and now face a one-week transfer portal window with no clear way to know which of those athletes will actually come back from NBA camps or overseas. The NCAA's near-certain appeal means schools weighing roster decisions are operating on a ruling that could vanish before the season tips off.
