NCAA Grants Additional Eligibility to UVA Football Players in Final Season

Any Virginia football player whose eligibility expired in 2022 will be granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA

Any Virginia football player who exhausted the final year of his collegiate eligibility in 2022 will be granted an additional year of eligibility by the NCAA, according to a report by Greg Madia of the Daily Progress on Wednesday afternoon. 

According to Madia, UVA director of athletics Carla Williams said that Virginia submitted the request for additional eligibility to the NCAA and the request has been granted. This moves comes after the final two games of the UVA football season were canceled following the tragic deaths of three Virginia football players - Lavel Davis Jr., Devin Chandler, and D'Sean Perry - in a shooting at UVA on November 13th. 

Virginia's game against Coastal Carolina the following Saturday was canceled and UVA held a memorial service for Davis, Chandler, and Perry that day at John Paul Jones Arena. The regular season finale against Virginia Tech scheduled for November 26th was also canceled as the entire UVA football team as well as coaches and athletic administrators attended the three funerals in the hometowns of each of the victims. 

The extra year of eligibility will only apply to athletes who played out their final season of eligibility in 2022. That includes Billy Kemp IV, Anthony Johnson, Keytaon Thompson, Darrius Bratton, Kameron Butler, Jack Camper, and Devontae Davis. Kemp and Johnson have already announced their intentions to enter the 2023 NFL Draft. 

The decision impacts only a small number of athletes and certainly wasn't required or expected, as Virginia had played 10 of its 12 scheduled games for the 2022 season and was not eligible for a bowl game. But, that makes the move a very kind and meaningful gesture on the part of UVA and the NCAA to allow these fifth and sixth-year seniors the opportunity to come back for another season if they so choose. 

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