Colorado judge immediately grants extra year of eligibility to NCAA athletes who just graduated
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- Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court of Colorado granted a class-wide preliminary injunction requiring the NCAA to declare athletes from the high school class of 2022 eligible for a fifth season, with a transfer portal opening Aug. 3 and closing one week later.
- NCAA president Charlie Baker and chief legal officer Scott Bearby condemned the ruling as "egregiously wrong," with Bearby announcing plans for an expedited appeal in the Wisne v. NCAA case to restore what he called the "status quo."
- The injunction conflicts with the NCAA's new five-for-five eligibility model taking effect this academic year, which gives athletes five years to play five seasons but would not retroactively restore eligibility to those who already exhausted four seasons under prior rules.
- Similar eligibility lawsuits are active elsewhere: an Ohio state judge cleared 15 men's basketball players including Xavier's Filip Borovicanin and Cincinnati's MJ Collins for 2026-27, while California courts are weighing an age-based suit featuring former UCLA guard Donova Dent and Texas guard Jordan Pope.
- Many potential returnees may not actually come back—Purdue's Braden Smith, who exited as the NCAA's all-time assist leader, signed a two-way deal with the Indiana Pacers, and Ohio State's Bruce Thornton was taken No. 31 in the NBA Draft and given a standard contract.
- Midseason additions of former pros already exist as precedent: Baylor added former second-round pick James Nnaji before Big 12 play, while Alabama added former big man Charles Bediako during SEC play before he was ruled ineligible.
Why it matters: Coaches had already locked in 2026-27 rosters and budgets when the ruling suddenly made thousands of former seniors eligible—though many signed pro contracts after the NBA Draft and summer league, making actual returns unlikely. The NCAA's promised expedited appeal leaves student-athletes already enrolled on campuses in limbo, uncertain whether they will be pushed out by returnees or protected by the existing five-for-five framework.
