On Friday, a US District Court judge in Colorado granted a preliminary injunction, giving all college athletes from the high school class of 2022 who exhausted their fourth season of eligibility this spring a fifth season of eligibility in 2026-27.
Preliminary Injunction Granted for Athletes in 2022 High School Class
According to the Associated Press, “The ruling from U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Denver, expected to be appealed, undercuts the NCAA’s plan to have the so-called ‘five-for-five’ rule go into play starting with athletes who enroll in college in fall 2027.”
Earlier this offseason, the NCAA implemented a new age-based eligibility model, essentially giving athletes a five-year running clock to complete five seasons of eligibility and eliminating redshirts. The new model did not include class of 2022 athletes who would have exhausted their eligibility under previous rules. You guessed it, that led to lawsuits.
Several lawsuits in different states, some granting temporary injunctions that allow athletes to earn another year of eligibility, put increasing pressure on the NCAA after the new eligibility model did not include class of 2022 athletes who completed four seasons under the previous rules.
After a certain point, it felt like only a matter of time before all 2022 high school graduates who just completed four seasons would be granted another year of eligibility…