A proposed change to the National Collegiate Athletics Association's (NCAA) eligibility rules would allow student-athletes in Division I programs up to five years of eligibility starting with the regular academic year after they turn 19 or graduate from high school, whichever happens first. “Under that model, Division I student-athletes would no longer be limited to only four seasons of competition within their five-year eligibility window,” the NCAA said in a statement.
The potential rule change would not cover current athletes who have competed – or who will compete in what remains of – the 2025-26 academic year, the NCAA stated.
The Division I Cabinet of the NCAA is expected to take up the matter in May.
The bigger picture:
When student-athletes were permitted to get paid for their name, image and likeness through NIL deals in 2021, some called for greater transparency with the deals. Though the reasons behind the calls for transparency varied, the result was the newly created College Sports Commission’s NIL database. One idea behind the database is that it serves as a way to make sure student-athletes are getting valid business deals and not just being lured to certain institutions on a false promise.
In announcing the most recent set of changes, the NCAA made reference to the financial opportunities that await student-athletes when it announced it was pursuing a rule to allow players to compete for five seasons instead of four. Tim Sands, president at Virginia Tech and chair of the Division I board at the NCAA, said the board “fully supports student-athletes receiving the unprecedented financial benefits now available to them.”
Sam Edwards, a football student-athlete at Michigan State and member of the board, said the proposed rule would allow coaches to field their entire roster without having to worry about “saving” a subset of players for redshirts. “This new eligibility landscape will be good for the game," Edward said in a statement released by the NCAA.
