The NCAA Division I Board of Directors doubled down Thursday on the new age-based eligibility rule that has prompted some athletes to go to court in hopes of extending their college careers.
The Division I Cabinet, which approved the new rule last month, issued a similar statement last month after a group of contending the unfairly shuts them out of further competition. More lawsuits have been filed across the country since, some of them reportedly with their coaches’ encouragement.
The board statement indicates it won’t budge from its stance like it did when, in response to former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia’s 2024 court win, it granted an additional year to athletes who had competed at non-NCAA schools for at least one season and were set to complete their eligibility.
鈥淲e are encouraged by the Division I membership鈥檚 broad support of the age-based eligibility rules,” the board said Thursday. “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. We look forward to ensuring that the age-based eligibility rules are enforced consistently so that all institutions play by the same rules, like all participants in sports.鈥�
The age-based eligibility rule allows athletes over a five-year period that begins with their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. The move all but eliminates waivers or redshirt years for extended eligibility except for religious missions, pregnancy or active-duty military service. Extensions will no longer be considered for athletes who are injured.
Athletes whose eligibility expired by spring 2026 under the traditional model 鈥� four years of competition over five years 鈥� will not be allowed a fifth year of competition under the new rules that go into effect this fall.
That was the impetus for the first lawsuit, in Ohio. A judge granted a preliminary injunction that allowed the players to enter the transfer portal and the case now heads to trial. Athletes in other cases across the country also have won preliminary injunctions.
Earlier this week, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said the conference ended up supporting the rule despite some leaders鈥� misgivings about its timing. Sankey said there was a thought that the Protect College Sports Act currently circulating in the Senate could solve the problem. He also said the conference wasn鈥檛 presented with data to justify the change.
鈥淲e got on a fast track in this environment because … people are looking for solutions,鈥� he said in an interview with The Associated Press. 鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 mean there are solutions but it鈥檚 just 鈥極h, what we鈥檙e doing isn鈥檛 working. There鈥檚 so many waivers, there鈥檚 so much controversy about eligibility, this must be better.鈥� But we鈥檙e not sure if it is.鈥�
___
AP National Writer Eddie Pells contributed to this report.
___
AP college sports:
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
