The NCAA is one step closer to officially changing its eligibility rules for Division I student-athletes.
On Monday, the Division I Board of Directors directed the Division I Cabinet to move forward with the proposed eligibility model that we first reported on earlier this month.
The proposal would give student-athletes five full years of eligibility, with their clock beginning at the time of their 19th birthday or high school graduation, whichever is earlier.
It also clamps down on the restrictions surrounding waiver exemptions and redshirt requests. Redshirt seasons would no longer exist, and waivers to miss a season without having it count against their eligibility would only apply to a select group, such as those on maternity leave, military service or religious missions.
Currently, student-athletes have a five-year eligibility clock to complete four seasons of competition, with the option to regain a season of eligibility through a redshirt or waiver request.
The Cabinet will have a meeting to discuss the changes on May 22, which could include a vote, according to Yahoo Sports‘ Ross Dellenger.
The biggest question surrounding these changes is whether or not they’ll apply to current student-athletes.
The NCAA said in a statement that the rules won’t be retroactive, so student-athletes who completed their eligibility in the 2025-26 season, including fourth-year seniors, won’t receive an additional season.
“If you’ve used up your eligibility, you’ve used it up,” NCAA President Charlie Baker told ESPN.
“A lot of the coaches, in particular, said this would be enormously challenging in a lot of ways,” Baker said. “And I completely understand where they are coming from. It would also be unfair to a lot of these kids who are going to be part of the new world and weren’t part of the old world.”
Baker said he was optimistic the rules would pass.
“I’m pretty optimistic it’s going to happen,” he told ESPN. “Mostly because the primary conversation hasn’t been about the idea of an age-based eligibility model being controversial. A lot of people are familiar with it because they’ve dealt with it in other settings, and they understand the simplicity of it.”
There is also a new transfer portal rule that was adopted by the Board after a request from the Big Ten.
The rule will allow “schools to decline to enter a student-athlete into the Transfer Portal only if the student-athlete agreed to release the school from that requirement as part of a valid settlement-related benefits agreement with the school, for the period of that agreement,” the NCAA said.
A second rule requires schools on the receiving end of a transfer to prove that they did not tamper.
So if im a current sophmore who just completed my 2nd year of competition will I get 3 more years based on new NCAA proposal ? Because im a little confused because I see some articles stating that not just current seniors but also freshmen sophmores and juniors wont get an extra year also.
I don’t think that has been decided yet.
I’m thinking about the current sophomores or juniors who also would just prefer to graduate in 4 years and then maybe be done with swimming and start real life? For current sophomores especially, their graduation year is an Olympic year. It seems like a natural progression to maybe retire after Olympic trials. I’m wondering if there will be the pressure to stay for 5.
D2/3 transfers with a year left after graduating will take up at least some sort of sizable percentage of roster spots (not claiming a lot, but a measurable amount)……maybe roster limits should be revisited?!?!?!?
Do current juniors then have 2 years of eligibility?
I don’t think they’ve settled on that yet.
The way Baker phrased it about the Spring 2026 graduates specifically tells me most likely the current Jr’s will be grandfathered in
Do you mean by “grandfathered in” that they will get to partake in the new 5 for 5 rules? I feel like grandfathered in means you are covered by old rules that are now changing. In this case, the new rules will benefit the current athletes.
Sorry for the confusion…
…my take based on how Baker specifically phrased it, Fr/So/Jr’s this current year would get a 5th year.
A team recruiting for 2027 thinks they have 7 roster spots to fill but if current juniors can now stay, they no longer have as many spots to offer??
Could be some grandfathering in to roster cap numbers?
IDK I think it’s more complicated than the public thinks and that’s the hold up – working out the transition.
One thing I would like to see is an analysis if this rule change would have much effect on high school recruiting in swimming. I have heard people saying in other sports that recruiting high school athletes has really decreased (especially basketball, where college transfers rule the day and some programs won’t recruit HS athletes). If this rule means athletes will now be more likely to stay for 5 years than 4, doesn’t that just mean fewer high school students will have potential spots on college rosters as the spots are more likely filled for longer…
It would seem to me that it might have that effect initially – similar to what we are just finishing with all the extra Covid eligibility – but in the long run might not have much effect because it would limit older foreign swimmers as well as swimmers coming back into the sport. I think it is probably really being pushed by basketball where older players who retain eligibility are now making more money playing college ball than they can make in Europe or any other venue besides the NBA.
Question relevant to swimmers: Would they still have a waiver available in Olympic years for students in Olympic sports? Or if they take that year off for training does it now simply count as a missed year out of their 5 years of eligibility?
The Olympics wasn’t listed as an exemption, so I’m guessing it will count as one of their 5 years.
As it should be
So, average age of IU football team last year was about 23… That gets a little trickier now, but not impossible…
Yeah, IU football’s average age was only 3 months younger than Miami’s.
Thank you for the extra year of eligibility! I can get my grad school paid for now