A ton of college football and basketball players who previously thought they had exhausted all of their eligibility now have a path back to college athletics.
In a stunning move on Friday night, a U.S. District Court judge in Colorado granted a preliminary injunction to plaintiffs challenging the NCAA’s new age-based eligibility rule. In the ruling, college athletes from the high school Class of 2022, whose eligibility had run out, are now eligible for the upcoming school year.
Thus, the Indiana Hoosier football and basketball programs could see some late roster additions to their respective teams.
Newly-eligible players could now be on Indiana's radar
When the NCAA changed the eligibility rule to giving athletes a five-year, age-based window to participate in college athletics, it left out the high school Class of 2022. Their eligibility had expired under the previous rules, which gave athletes five years to compete in four full seasons. Now, that has changed as those Class of 2022 athletes now have that fifth year of eligibility.
There are still some moving parts in this process, and an appeal could be coming before the fall sports schedule gets going. So, it's tough to know what to fully expect at this point in time. With that being said, there seems to be a strong possibility that players who were previously out of eligibility could now be back.
Predicting Indiana's starting offensive line after Curt Cignetti's Media Day hints
The new court order requires the NCAA to open the transfer portal from August 3-10. Should it officially be implemented, that's when newly-eligible players across the country can peruse all of their options.
Both the Indiana football and basketball rosters are just about complete. The football program only has a few roster spots available with fall camp starting up next week, and the basketball program only has one scholarship left. But still, it would be wise for both Curt Cignetti and Darian DeVries to do their do diligence and see what options are out there. Who knows, it could lead to a meaningful roster addition at the last minute.
Former Hoosiers who gained an addition year of eligibility for 2026
There are a handful of Hoosiers who received an additional year of eligibility in the ruling from Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney. Former Hoosiers from the football and basketball programs could choose to come back to Indiana, or enter the portal and go to different programs. Here is a look at those former Hoosiers who could have a chance of coming back:
Basketball: F Sam Alexis, G Reed Bailey
Football: LB Aiden Fisher, DE Stephen Daly, DE Kellan Wyatt, WR Elijah Sarratt, TE Holden Staes, WR Jonathan Brady, P Mitch McCarthy
Of course, things are complicated by the signing of professional contracts. Of the Hoosier football players listed above, only Daley, Wyatt, and Staes fit the criteria of never redshirting and never signing a professional contract. Thus, they would be the most likely potential returners among that group.
There is still a lot that need to be sorted out, but this is definitely a situation worth following for all Hoosier fans.
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