NCAA may overhaul eligibility with age-based standard
New proposal sets a hard eligibility clock.
NCAA may overhaul eligibility with age-based standard originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . The NCAA is weighing a significant overhaul to its eligibility rules.
Under the proposal, athletes would receive five full years of eligibility beginning on their 19th birthday or high school graduation, whichever comes first. Only a narrow set of exceptions would remain: maternity leave, military service, and religious missions. The proposal would gut the waiver system that caused legal chaos The NCAA Division I Cabinet is scheduled to review the concept in coming week.
Sources told Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger the proposal is urgent, with implementation potentially starting as early as fall this year. Currently, athletes get four playing seasons across five calendar years, with redshirts and waivers serving as the primary tools for extending that window. The new framework would eliminate both.
The legal pressure has been building for years. Last academic year alone, the NCAA processed about 1,450 waiver requests, and still ended up in court over the denials. Athletes who were rejected filed suit, some chasing a ninth year of college eligibility.