NCAA proposes stricter rules on eligibility and age limits that could be a game-changer

Apr 2, 2026; Phoenix, AZ, USA; A Wilson Evo NXT basketball with the 2026 NCAA Women's Final Four logo passes through the net at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images The NCAA committee is expected to meet next week to discuss major changes to new college sports eligibility rules that have been discussed over the past couple of weeks. The committee will explore a new age standard for athlete eligibility that has been discussed at the high-level conferences and by their administrators.

The proposal was given to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger under an anonymous name . Here’s what was discussed: Under the new concept, NCAA athletes will be given five full years of eligibility from the time of their 19th birthday or their high school graduation, whichever comes first. There will be hardly any exceptions to waiver requests or redshirts.

A small amount may be permitted for purposes such as maternity leave, military service, or religious missions. The NCAA cabinet will review this proposal early next week. The timeline is very unclear about whether approval could take weeks or months, but it’s an urgent matter to fix college sports before the Fall 2026 academic year.

This new policy would hopefully bring stability to college athletics, something that has been needed for quite some time. This isn’t the exact plan President Donald Trump had in mind, but it does align with some of his ideas. Trump was very prominent in a five-year window for all college athletes.