A U.S. District Court in Colorado has issued a preliminary injunction that grants eligibility to all high school athletes from the class of 2022 who have run out of eligibility this spring. The ruling impacts athletes who began collegiate sports in the 2022-2023 season and competed in NCAA Division I sports, completing four years of eligibility by the end of the 2025-2026 season but would have been barred from a fifth year due to the NCAA's recently implemented "Five-Year Eligibility Rule."
The injunction mandates a transfer portal for any athletes newly deemed eligible between August 3 and August 10, just weeks before the NCAA's fall sports seasons are scheduled to commence. Men's and women's soccer typically begin in mid-to-late August, followed by the FBS college football season on August 29.
The NCAA's adoption of the five-for-five eligibility rule in June established a continuous five-year window for student-athletes to compete in up to five seasons. Under this rule, an athlete's five-year eligibility clock begins upon full-time college enrollment or during the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever comes first. This change aimed to eliminate the need for redshirt years and reduce ongoing eligibility disputes.
However, the rule's effective date in June 2026 left the high school class of 2022 facing ineligibility for a potential fifth year, while other classes could benefit from the revised policy. Prior to this ruling, athletes from the 2022 cohort had pursued individual and group injunctions to gain an extra year of eligibility for the 2026-27 season. Several prominent college basketball players, including Dug McDaniel of Memphis, AJ Storr of Ole Miss, Jalen Washington of Vanderbilt, and BJ Edwards of SMU, were among those granted preliminary injunctions on Friday.