Federal Injunction Could Allow Just-Graduated NCAA Athletes to Return for Fifth Year
Beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, the NCAA will roll out a new eligibility model giving athletes five years following their high school graduation or 19th birthday, whichever comes sooner, to compete for their schools. But the rollout will not be smooth, especially after a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction that could allow graduated athletes to return this season.
U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney issued a ruling Friday in Denver that anyone who graduated high school in 2022 and exhausted their eligibility last season may now return for one final season. This would only apply to the senior class who did not redshirt any of the last four years.
According to a report from the Associated Press on the injunction, Sweeney wrote that athletes “will suffer irreparable harm” if denied a final season. The report notes that it could cause chaos for coaches and administrators setting their rosters for this upcoming season, citing the possibility that any undrafted player currently in an NFL training camp might decide to return to the college ranks.
Numerous swimmers could benefit from this ruling provided they fit the criteria. However, Torri Huske, whose senior season at Stanford concluded with individual NCAA titles in the 50 and 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly, will not be among those affected because she redshirted the 2023-24 season, meaning more than five years have already passed since her college graduation. Her Cardinal teammate Lucy Bell, the NCAA champion in the 200 breaststroke and 200 IM last year, would be eligible.
On the men’s side, three-time winner Josh Liendo might be too old to benefit from the fifth year, with his 24th birthday approaching in mid-August, but Hubert Kos, still 23 until next March, might have the option of coming back. Sprinter Gui Caribe and multi-time distance freestyle national champion Zalan Sarkany are others who might have the option. As for Americans, Baylor Nelson and Jonny Kulow were both class of 2022 swimmers, opening the fifth-year possibility if they so choose.
NCAA President Charlie Baker indicated that the organization would appeal the ruling, and he used the potential chaos as further reason to pass the Congressional legislation regulating college sports.
Without targeted intervention from Congress, college sports cannot set nationwide rules everyone can play by and without Congress, failed professionals will continue to use college sports as a fallback option — robbing the next class of young athletes of college scholarships,” Baker said in a statement from the NCAA.
It is long past time leaders across college sports call for the immediate passage of the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act — a bill supported by student-athlete leaders, Democrats, Republicans and NCAA schools from all three divisions. Today’s rulings and the chaos they bring to college sports are exactly why it’s time to pass this bill.”
