There are reportedly no proposals to add a fifth year of eligibility to all NCAA athletes in the works, despite previous reports to the contrary.
Jeff Goodman, co-founder of college basketball publication Field of 68, said that an NCAA spokesperson confirmed to the publication that no such proposal or vote was in place.
https://x.com/goodmanhoops/status/1884315438336909706?s=43&t=gbXKI2UU35qtYIXJMG-2Cg
In early January, reports came out that the NCAA was considering adding a fifth year eligibility, and that the matter would be discussed throughout early 2025. CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein was the first to break this report, citing an NCAA official.
If Goodman’s most recent report is true, this means that the fifth-year athletes for the 2024-2025 seasons will be the last of their kind. A fifth year of eligibility was first introduced for those who competed in the 2020-2021 season, which was significantly affected by COVID-19 regulations.
Even if a permanent fifth-year eligibility rule is off the table, other recent avenues have allowed some athletes to compete in a fifth year. In a lawsuit against the NCAA, a judge granted Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia a fifth year of eligibility. Pavia took a stint year at a junior college, which the NCAA considered a year of eligibility, but the courts overruled the NCAA.
Last September, reports also came out that the NCAA considered extending its football redshirt rules to all sports. If this consideration were to come to fruition, swimmers and other NCAA athletes could compete in a percentage threshold of a season’s competitions and then redshirt without it counting against their eligibility.
Keep in mind the 2020 high school seniors who played Spring sports, especially the baseball players. They all lost their Senior year of high school and then when they went to College did not see a lot of playing time because of the extra year of eligibility all the college kids got. Even if their freshman year of college they only got in a couple of games that was counted as a season. That’s not right. The 2020 and the 2021 season kids all deserve the 5th year. The 2021 kids lost a lot more opportunity than the 2020 athletes as they lost their high school season too.
Alex Walsh is a 6th year, missed 2020 because of Covid, has since won 4 National Team Championships and is going for 5th this year. Kids from Class of 2021 have been dealing with 6th and 7th years since they entered college. They deserve another year of eligibility after been locked up for having teammates with Covid sit next to them and being forced to take the vaccine.
If NCAA SCY swimming has a million fans, then I am one of them. If NCAA SCY swimming has ten fans, then I am one of them. If NCAA SCY swimming has only one fan then that is me. If NCAA SCY swimming has no fans, then that means I am no longer on earth. If the world is against NCAA SCY swimming, then I am against the world.
Even without Covid, most college athletes loose a year from an injury (pushing hard to improve) or illness. 5th year should stay. If you aren’t a college athlete or directly related to one, all of you would know this.
I don’t have any data on this but i doubt “most collegiate athletes” lose a year from injury/illness.
Regardless, there are already rules in place that allow you to redshirt if something like that happens
He didn’t say they lose a year from injury.” He said they loose a year.
Decades ago those in hs all swim in 25 yd pools. Colleges weren’t 40% international swimmers so the 25 yd pools were a good match. So is college the training ground for international teams or for hs swimmers here in the US continuing sport in college ?
Let’s get college athletics back to 18-22 year olds. Bring back 5 years of eligibility to complete 4 years of competition. Bring back high school kids actually having a chance to go and develop at a program. Bring back losing a year if you transfer. This has gotten so out of hand the last 5 years.
I’ve said it once and I stand on it: the class of 2020 was the only class that deserved their season back (they got nothing), 2021 I can listen to an argument.
You’re 100% correct on all.
But the courts are now involved – and they won’t allow it. Essentially, class action litigation has “won” their case(s) and the athletes now are basically treated as employees. The sad byproduct of that “win” is that preserving those types of models is not legally possible. I put “win” in quotations because it’s not a win for college sports, with now students being basically pros/employees. That’s not why school athletics is supposed to be offered. But because so much money is involved, here we are.
Agree with YGBSM. Ultimately, the only salvation for college athletics as we knew them would be congressional intervention, AKA “change the law.”
Actually 2020 hs grads who took a gap year or mental health year of still have a 5th year during 2025/26. Not many but some
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