Kentucky Basketball transfer target Mark Mitchell received an injunction on Friday that allows him to get a fifth season of eligibility and enter the transfer portal. It comes following a lawsuit that took place in Louisville, where Judge Brian Edwards granted Mitchell’s request for a fifth season of eligibility and the ability to enter the portal.
Back in June, the NCAA adopted a new age-based eligibility framework that has been coined the “5-in-5” rule. In short, student-athletes have five years to play seasons, taking full effect next fall. This is believed to lessen endless waiver lawsuits and offer a clearer age-based framework for student-athletes.
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With one roster spot remaining, Mark Pope and the Kentucky staff have been closely monitoring the situation, as many student-athletes from the 2022 recruiting class have filed lawsuits in an effort to receive a fifth year of eligibility, just as the athletes will have starting next season.
One such athlete is Missouri Tigers transfer Mark Mitchell, who recently joined more than half a dozen athletes. In a lawsuit filed in Louisville against the NCAA. The athletes, or the plaintiffs in this case, are requesting a temporary restraining order, temporary injunction, and permanent injunction to receive another year of eligibility.
On Friday, that lawsuit was successful, and the judge ruled in favor of the athletes, granting them a temporary restraining order and injunctions.
It is not a guarantee that Mitchell would come to Kentucky, but there are strong indications that would be the case, as the Kentucky staff has been in contact with his camp, and he joined a lawsuit in the state of Kentucky.
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Adding a piece as talented as Mitchell, who would likely be a top-10-ranked transfer, and who dropped 32 points against Kentucky with Missouri this past season in the SEC Tournament, would certainly raise Kentucky’s ceiling and floor.
While the NCAA has certainly lost power in recent years, they are appealing multiple court cases and are not backing down from their stance that class of 2022 athletes should not have a fifth year of eligibility.
They have threatened to suspend coaches and fine athletic departments who do not comply with their guidelines. If Kentucky is able to add Mitchell to the roster, that is something to monitor to see if the NCAA gives up its fight.
