NCAA Considering Rule Change Giving Athletes in All Sports 5 Years of Eligibility

The NCAA is considering changing a rule that would permanently add a fifth year of eligibility for athletes in all sports.

Per Jon Rothstein of College Hoops Today, the NCAA is looking into the change but there’s no timetable for a decision and “the topic will continue to be discussed in the early part of 2025.”

The 2024-25 academic year marks the final season for players who were granted an extra year of eligibility if they played in college during the 2020-21 season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

There is also an ongoing legal situation involving Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia and the NCAA over eligibility. Pavia filed a lawsuit in November, alleging the NCAA bylaws that limit the number of seasons junior college players can compete at Division I schools are unlawful and restrict players’ ability to earn NIL money.

William Campbell Jr., chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, denied Pavia’s request for a temporary restraining order that would grant him an additional year of eligibility.

Campbell later granted Pavia an injunction that keeps open the possibility he could play for Vandy again in 2025, but it is not a final ruling.

Per ESPN’s Eli Lederman, the NCAA board of directors approved a blanket waiver granting an additional year of eligibility to junior college transfers for the 2025-26 academic year.

Lederman also noted the NCAA said in the same memo it has filed a notice of appeal to the ruling in Pavia’s case.

Pavia played two seasons at New Mexico Military Institute from 2020 to ’21 before transferring to New Mexico State in January 2022. He played two seasons for the Aggies, then transferred to Vanderbilt in January 2024.

The implementation of NIL rules has incentivized non-elite pro prospects to remain in college. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers has reportedly been offered $6 million from an unnamed school to transfer rather than enter the NFL draft.

Ewers hasn’t made an official statement about his plans, but Anwar Richardson of Orangebloods noted on Dec. 13 the Longhorns star intends to declare for the draft.

The additional year of eligibility has also allowed college players who may not have been on the NFL’s radar early in their career to significantly increase their value. Michael Penix Jr. went from suffering season-ending injuries in each of his four years at Indiana to two stellar seasons at Washington that catapulted him to being the No. 8 pick in the 2024 draft.