NCAA to discuss 5th year of eligibility for all sports in 2025

Governing body is set to discuss the option of granting thousands of student-athletes another year of eligibility

A basketball with the Nebraska Cornhuskers logo falls through the net during warmups before the game against the Southern University Jaguars at Pinnacle Bank Arena. / Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The NCAA will reportedly discuss the idea of allowing student-athletes in all sports a fifth year of eligibility in the near future, according to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein.

Current NCAA eligibility rules grant players five years to compete athletically in four seasons. This allows a student-athlete to take a redshirt year while maintaining a year of eligibility. Back in September, it was reported that the governing body and its member schools planned to seriously think about giving student-athletes the ability to play a certain percentage of games in a fifth season without burning a redshirt year.

If the policy is changed for all sports, sport-specific committees would need to determine how many games a player in each sport can participate in before a year of eligibility is exhausted.

The NCAA has started examining its eligibility requirements more closely over the past few years in the wake of NIL legislation and rules related to the transfer portal. As the governing body drowns in legal paperwork and lawsuits from all types of parties, it's likely such discussions won't be going anyway anytime soon.

In fact, a recent temporary injunction allowing Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia to play another season of college football in 2025 could have major implications for junior college transfers across the country. The NCAA has counted JUCO participation against student-athletes' eligibility when they move up to the Division I level. However, a court sided with Pavia's claims that the rules violate antitrust law.

The ruling isn’t a class-action and is specific to Pavia, but other student-athletes in his position could potentially follow suit.

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