Judge Blocks NCAA Five-for-Five Eligibility Rule
Get the Sports newsletter
Daily sports — scores, transfers, the storylines from the leagues you actually follow. Free.
- U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Denver ruled Friday that all high school class of 2022 athletes who exhausted their fourth season of college eligibility this spring are eligible for a fifth season this school year, undercutting the NCAA's plan to have the "five-for-five" rule take effect starting with athletes who enroll in fall 2027.
- Sweeney granted the preliminary injunction, stating the players "will suffer irreparable harm without" it, and explicitly declined to adopt the NCAA's argument that applying the new rule retroactively would create "roster chaos."
- The Colorado ruling granted the plaintiffs' class certification, meaning the decision applies to all Division I players who started their college careers in the 2022-23 season — not just a named subset.
- A Tennessee court ruled earlier the same day in favor of Jalen Washington, most recently of Vanderbilt, and 18 other basketball players, granting them a fifth season of eligibility.
- NCAA president Charlie Baker responded by saying "today's rulings and the chaos they bring to college sports are exactly why it's time to pass this bill," referencing pending federal legislation that would give the NCAA antitrust protection on eligibility matters.
- The ruling opens the door for unusual roster scenarios, including the possibility that an undrafted NFL training camp player could return to college for a fifth year this upcoming season.
Why it matters: Division I athletic departments now face immediate roster-planning uncertainty: any athlete who used four seasons in 2022-23 can compete a fifth year, potentially displacing planned 2025-26 rosters. The NCAA is expected to appeal, but Baker's pivot to lobbying Congress signals the governing body sees the courts as a losing venue and wants legislative cover for eligibility restrictions.
