Good Morning, Illini Nation: Eligibility changes coming (eventually)
May 23—The NCAA Division I council won't vote on the proposed changes to eligibility — namely five years to play five seasons and a defined age cap for all college athletes — this month. But the fact there was further guidance on how those proposed changes would impact certain groups of athletes means that pushing the vote to June is only a formality. Five years to play five seasons is coming to college athletics, and so is a defined window in which those five years have to happen.
As in, the academic year following their high school graduation or their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. This is taken directly from the NCAA's release on the matter Friday afternoon: * No additional eligibility. * Flexibility for schools to apply the age-based model or continue with the previous eligibility rules (four seasons to compete with five total years of eligibility), whichever is most beneficial to that individual.
* Age-based model only. * Age-based model only. * The NCAA Eligibility Center will review the prospect's individual circumstances and apply the age-based model or existing delayed enrollment eligibility rules, whichever is most beneficial to that individual.
"It will help things," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said about the proposed changes. "I think the one thing we've got to find a remedy for is guys who have declared for the draft. We have a system in place now that works quite nicely, and we shouldn't mess with it.
If you've made the choice to become a pro and foregone your college eligibility, you shouldn't have the ability to come back, in my opinion. "It will reduce the number of waivers. I don't think it will stop the waivers.