A federal court has dealt a significant setback to the NCAA’s new eligibility rule, ruling that high school class of 2022 athletes who exhausted their fourth season of college eligibility this spring are eligible for a fifth season during the current school year.
The decision directly affects athletes from that graduating class who had completed what was expected to be their final season of college competition. Under the ruling, those athletes may continue competing for one more season despite having already used four seasons of eligibility.
Eligibility Rule Faces Legal Challenge
The ruling represents a major loss for the NCAA as it seeks to enforce its updated eligibility framework. The court’s decision creates immediate eligibility relief for the affected athletes and alters the landscape for programs managing rosters for the current school year.
The case centers on the NCAA’s attempt to apply its new rule to athletes who entered college after graduating high school in 2022 and completed their fourth season this spring. With the court’s ruling, that group is now permitted to return for a fifth season.