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The NCAA Division I Board of Directors on Thursday doubled down on its new age-based eligibility rule that has led some athletes to go to court in hopes of extending their college careers.
The Division I Cabinet, which approved the new rule last month, issued a similar statement last month after a group of basketball players filed a lawsuit in Ohio state court arguing that the age-based model unfairly excludes them from further competition. Since then, more lawsuits have been filed across the country, some reportedly supported by his coaches.
The board’s statement indicates it will not change its stance as it did when, in response to former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s on-court victory in 2024, it granted an extra year to athletes who had competed at non-NCAA schools for at least one season and were ready to complete their eligibility.
“We are encouraged by Division I members’ broad support for age-based eligibility rules,” the board said Thursday. “The design of the new rules, including their implementation strategy, was thoughtful and well-informed, and had the unanimous support of the Cabinet, including its student-athlete members.
(Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
The age-based eligibility rule allows athletes five seasons of competition over a five-year period beginning with their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever comes first. The measure virtually eliminates exemptions or redshirt years for expanded eligibility, except for religious missions, pregnancy or active military duty. Extensions will no longer be considered for injured athletes.
Athletes whose eligibility expired in spring 2026 under the traditional model (four years of competition in five years) will not be allowed a fifth year of competition under new rules that go into effect this fall.
That was the impetus for the first lawsuit, in Ohio. A judge granted an injunction allowing the players to enter the transfer portal and the case now goes to trial. Athletes in other cases across the country also won preliminary injunctions.
Earlier this week, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said the conference ended up supporting the rule despite some leaders’ doubts about its timing. Sankey said it was thought the College Sports Protection Act currently circulating in the Senate could solve the problem. He also said the conference was not presented with data to justify the change.
“We are moving quickly 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, it just means ‘Oh, what we’re doing isn’t working. There are so many exemptions, there’s so much controversy about eligibility, this must be better.’ But we’re not sure if it is.”
Associated Press information.
