On Thursday, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors reaffirmed their commitment to a controversial age-based eligibility rule, despite legal challenges from athletes seeking to prolong their time in college sports.
Last month, the Division I Cabinet also backed the rule following a lawsuit filed by a group of basketball players in Ohio. These players argue that the age-based restrictions are unfairly excluding them from further participation in competitions. The legal actions have since expanded, with some reports suggesting that coaches are encouraging these lawsuits.
The board’s latest decision shows a firm resolve not to repeat the exception made after former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia won a court case in 2024. In that instance, athletes who played at non-NCAA institutions and were nearing the end of their eligibility were granted an additional year to compete.
“We are heartened by the broad support within the Division I membership for the age-based eligibility rules,” stated the board on Thursday. “These rules were crafted through a thoughtful process that involved extensive input and received unanimous backing from the Cabinet, including representation from student-athletes.”
“At this time, the Board has no intentions of altering the application of these rules, despite the recent spate of lawsuits filed on behalf of athletes with expired eligibility. Our goal is to ensure consistent enforcement of the age-based rules across all institutions, maintaining a level playing field in college sports,” the statement concluded.
The age-based eligibility rule allows athletes five seasons of competition over a five-year period that begins with their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. The move all but eliminates waivers or redshirt years for extended eligibility except for religious missions, pregnancy or active-duty military service. Extensions will no longer be considered for athletes who are injured.
Athletes whose eligibility expired by spring 2026 under the traditional model — four years of competition over five years — will not be allowed a fifth year of competition under the new rules that go into effect this fall.
That was the impetus for the first lawsuit, in Ohio. A judge granted a preliminary injunction that allowed the players to enter the transfer portal and the case now heads to trial. Athletes in other cases across the country also have won preliminary injunctions.
Earlier this week, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said the conference ended up supporting the rule despite some leaders’ misgivings about its timing. Sankey said there was a thought that the Protect College Sports Act currently circulating in the Senate could solve the problem. He also said the conference wasn’t presented with data to justify the change.
“We got on a fast track in this environment because … people are looking for solutions,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “That doesn’t mean there are solutions but it’s just ‘Oh, what we’re doing isn’t working. There’s so many waivers, there’s so much controversy about eligibility, this must be better.’ But we’re not sure if it is.”