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NCAA eligibility: Division I Board maintains stance despite legal fight over new rules
Following Diego Pavia's court win, the NCAA had granted an extra year of eligibility to athletes who previously competed at non-NCAA schools.
The NCAA Division I Board of Directors reaffirmed its support on Thursday for the newly introduced age-based eligibility model, standing firm despite a growing number of legal challenges from athletes seeking additional years of college competition.
In a statement, the board said, “We are encouraged by the Division I membership’s broad support of the age-based eligibility rules.”
The decision follows a series of lawsuits filed across the United States after the Division I Cabinet approved the rule last month.
The cabinet had previously released a similar statement after a group of basketball players challenged the policy in an Ohio state court, arguing that the age-based system unfairly prevents them from extending their collegiate careers.
Since then, additional lawsuits have emerged in multiple states, with reports suggesting that some athletes were encouraged by their coaches to pursue legal action.
No plans to revise
The board's latest response makes it clear that the NCAA has no intention of revising the policy, unlike its decision following Diego Pavia's legal victory in 2024.
After Pavia won his case, the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to athletes who had spent at least one season competing at non-NCAA institutions and were nearing the end of their collegiate careers.
Defending the current framework, the board stated:
"The design of the new rules, including its implementation strategy, was thoughtful and well informed, and was unanimously supported by the Cabinet, including its student-athlete members. The Board has no plans to modify their application, notwithstanding a series of lawsuits recently filed on behalf of student-athletes with no remaining eligibility."
How the age-based eligibility rule works
Under the updated policy, student-athletes are eligible to compete for five seasons within a five-year window. That clock begins either when they enroll as full-time students or at the start of the academic year after their 19th birthday, whichever comes first.
The rule significantly limits opportunities to extend eligibility through traditional waivers or redshirt seasons. Exceptions will remain only for religious missions, pregnancy, and active-duty military service, while injury-related extensions will no longer be granted.
Lawsuits continue growing
Athletes whose eligibility had already expired under the previous model—four seasons of competition within a five-year period by the spring of 2026—will not receive an additional year under the new framework, which officially takes effect this fall.
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That provision sparked the original lawsuit in Ohio, where a judge issued a preliminary injunction allowing the affected players to enter the NCAA transfer portal while the case proceeds to trial.
Similar preliminary injunctions have since been granted in several other cases across the country.
(With inputs from AP)
