NCAA 5-year eligibility rule could start in May, potentially giving Otega Oweh a fifth season

If you thought this college basketball portal season has been crazy, we might be on the verge of it getting even crazier. A new report indicates NCAA President Charlie Baker is making a push to vote on the 5-year eligibility proposal — aka the 5 in 5 rule — next month, with implementation in June. If that rule goes into effect, it is believed that it could apply to the group of 4th-year seniors who normally would’ve exhausted their eligibility.

That means guys like Denzel Aberdeen, who entered the portal and committed to Florida despite having no remaining eligibility, would get a 5th year if they wanted it. For Kentucky, that could be interesting in the case of Otega Oweh, who would have the option to return to Kentucky. But beyond that, you could have a large group of players who aren’t projected as first-round NBA Draft picks looking to cash in with NIL offers for a 5th year of college basketball.

What that would look like remains unclear at this time. Will a special extra portal window open up for those players to enter? Jeff Goodman noted that many college coaches have been following this hypothetical scenario and have reserved money in case this scenario comes into play.

Maybe Kentucky’s roster could be filled out with some of these players who didn’t necessarily expect to have another year of eligibility. Nonetheless, if this happens, the college basketball offseason is certainly going to get even more chaotic than it already has been. Plenty of head coaches are hanging onto some money in case this 5-in-5 eligibility thing goes into place for this senior class.