NCAA approves 5-year eligibility rule
· Yahoo Sports
The NCAA’s Division I Cabinet has officially approved its new “age-based eligibility model”, granting athletes five years of competition in their collegiate careers instead of four and removing redshirts and waivers.
The rules are expected to apply to athletes who have eligibility remaining at the conclusion of the 25-26 academic year. Athletes who finished their fourth year this past spring will not be included in the new rule.
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Under the new rule, an athlete’s eligibility clock begins when they first enroll in college or at the beginning of the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs earlier. Current athletes with eligibility left can choose the old or new rules, whichever helps them more.
The NCAA opted to pursue this “age-based eligibility model” after a flurry of issues in recent years over eligibility with the introduction of NIL in college athletics. Between legal battles over eligibility for athletes who attended junior college, COVID eligibility, what is classified as a redshirt, and a variety of waivers, the NCAA views this model as a way to set a standard for eligibility moving forward.
The cabinet’s decision will not be finalized until the meeting concludes on Wednesday.