Update on the NCAA’s fifth-year proposal and how it could impact Kentucky

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) dunks during the second half against the Iowa State Cyclones during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images If you are 100% certain we have seen the last of Otega Oweh in a Kentucky uniform, what if I told you that maybe we haven’t?

While the chances of Oweh returning don’t feel or seem great, it is possible. That’s because of the NCAA’s pending fifth-year NCAA eligibility proposal , “which would allow athletes to have five years of eligibility from the time of their 19th birthday or high school graduation, whichever is earlier, and eliminates the ability for a player to redshirt or file a waiver. ” This seems fair… right?

Then again, this is the NCAA. If you fear that this will get complicated, your fears are justified. As Ross Dellinger points out, a sticking point is grandfathering in athletes.

“This is especially important for those players having recently completed or are completing their fourth season who (1) have not taken a redshirt and (2) who fall within the proposed concept’s 5-year window,” Dellenger wrote at On3 . Dellinger goes on to mention that “those athletes who are completing or have completed this year their fourth season of eligibility within a four-year window would theoretically be eligible for a fifth season under the concept. This all assumes that the concept is formally adopted — and that might not happen until the summer, if it happens at all.