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The NCAA is considering a rule change that would permanently add a fifth year of eligibility for athletes in all sports.
By Jon Rothstein of College Hoops Today, the NCAA is studying the change but there is no timetable for a decision and “the topic will continue to be discussed into early 2025.”
The 2024-25 academic year marks the final season for players who were granted an additional 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 regarding eligibility. Pavia filed a lawsuit in November, alleging that NCAA statutes that limit the number of seasons junior college players can compete at Division I schools are illegal and restrict players’ ability to earn NIL money.
William Campbell Jr., Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee, denied Pavie is seeking a temporary restraining order that would grant him an additional year of eligibility.
Campbell later granted Pavies an injunction that leaves open the possibility that he could play for Vandy again in 2025, but it is not a final decision.
According to ESPN Elie LedermanThe NCAA Board of Governors has approved a blanket waiver granting an additional year of eligibility to junior college transfers for the 2025-2026 academic year.
Lederman also noted that the NCAA said in the same memo that it had filed a notice of appeal against the decision in Pavia’s case.
Pavie played two seasons at New Mexico Military Institute from 2020 to 2021 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 stay in college. Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers would have was offered $6 million from an unnamed school to transfer rather than enter the NFL draft.
Ewers has not made an official statement on his plans, but Anwar Richardson from Orangebloods noted on December 13, the Longhorns star intends to declare for the draft.
The extra year of eligibility also allowed college players who may not have been on the NFL’s radar early in their careers to significantly increase their value. Michael Penix Jr. went from season-ending injuries in each of his four years at Indiana to two standout seasons in Washington that catapulted him to the No. 8 overall pick in the 2024 draft.