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College athletes who graduated high school in 2022 and just exhausted their college eligibility have been granted a class-wide preliminary injunction to play a fifth season.
The decision was made by Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court of Colorado on Friday, July 31.
The injunction comes after the NCAA changed its eligibility rules to an age-based model in June, going for the “5-for-5 rule” in which athletes would get five years of eligibility upon the start of their full-time enrollment. However, the new rule would only take effect for athletes entering college in the 2026-27 academic year, while the decision of those still enrolled with eligibility past the upcoming year was up to the discretion of the respective schools.
It did not apply for athletes from the high school class of 2022, who were sandwiched between those who were granted an extra year due to COVID-19 and those with more eligibility under the new rules.
But, a group of athletes filed a class action lawsuit against the NCAA, fighting for extra eligibility for the new academic year while claiming the NCAA violated federal antitrust law. The NCAA argued applying the rule retroactively would “destabilize college sports.”
Sweeney ultimately ruled in favor of the athletes.
“They will suffer irreparable harm without issuance of an injunction. And the balance of equities, as well as the public interest, favor them. They are entitled to the injunctive relief they seek,” Sweeney wrote in the decision.
The decision applies to people “who began to play in collegiate sports in the 2022–2023 season, competed in NCAA Division I sports, and completed four years of eligibility as defined by the NCAA’s prior rules by the conclusion of the 2025–2026 season.”
The NCAA said in a statement that the Protect College Sports Act needs “immediate passage” as the ruling and “the chaos they bring to college sports are exactly why it’s time to pass this bill.”
The bill, which had been at a standstill between lawmakers and college sports leaders, received support from the Big Ten and SEC on Friday.
“Without targeted intervention from Congress, college sports cannot set nationwide rules everyone can play by and without Congress, failed professionals will continue to use college sports as a fallback option − robbing the next class of young athletes of college scholarships,” the NCAA said.
Sweeney’s decision will have a seismic impact, with many athletes who didn’t think they had any eligibility left suddenly able to play one more season in their respective sport. However, it’s likely not every person covered will be able to suit up one more time.
College football rosters are mostly set with training camps already or about to be underway. The season is starting a month from this ruling, meaning there might not be any available roster spots for eligible football players. The decision will most affect winter and spring sports, since those rosters − particularly in men’s and women’s basketball, baseball and softball − aren’t entirely set and could have open spots. It could make for a chaotic time as teams try to figure out whether to add people or not, and the ripple effect on players already on the squad remains to be seen.
It also is not clear if players who were selected or signed by professional sports teams would have the opportunity to return to college, which could be another legal portal for those it pertains to.
The ruling comes hours after 19 men’s college basketball players were granted a temporary injunction that allows them a fifth season of eligibility for the 2026-27 season, while also allowing them to seek transfers. Led by Vanderbilt’s Jalen Washington, players also part of the suit included AJ Storr (Mississippi) and Jason Edwards (Providence). Texas offensive lineman Cole Hutson and Missouri defensive lineman Sterling Webb also got temporary injunctions to play this upcoming season in individual lawsuits.