NCAA weighs – Clemson is waiting on the NCAA to decide a waiver for senior guard Mia Moore, whose injury limited her to 11 minutes over four games at Mississippi State. The Tigers’ hopes collide with an NCAA proposal—widely dubbed the “5-in-5” rule—that would replace waiver
When Clemson coach Shawn Poppie talked about roster building this season, one name kept resurfacing: Mia Moore.
Moore is seeking an extra year of eligibility after Clemson submitted a waiver for the senior guard. a process that Poppie said has been “a long process.” The Tigers have already invested in a lineup meant to mesh with Moore—starter Rusne Augustinaite. a freshman class featuring three ESPN Top 60 recruits. and a transfer portal haul that included size and potential. They also added Mackenzie Nelson from Virginia Tech. a point guard who ranked second nationally in assist-turnover ratio this past season.
But the missing piece is Moore herself. Poppie said building the roster knowing that Moore’s waiver request was out there was difficult because Moore is “such a big piece.”
Last season, Moore led Clemson in both scoring and passing with 13.3 points and 4.7 assists per game. She also averaged 5.4 rebounds per game and shot 37% from 3-point range. Poppie described Nelson and Moore as compatible on the court, but emphasized what Moore would mean to the program’s identity.
“Mackenzie Nelson, we think can play alongside Mia Moore, no doubt. But if you don’t have Mia. I really feel like Mackenzie is capable… But you add Mia in there — she’s an unbelievable kid. an unbelievable teammate and an unbelievable worker. She would literally be the face of Clemson women’s basketball if she were to get this extra year.”.
The NCAA’s decision matters not just for next season’s depth chart. but for the timeline of how players plan their careers. Clemson’s request hinges on Moore’s redshirt freshman season at Mississippi State. where she played a total of just 11 minutes across four games while battling an injury that sidelined her for the remainder of the year. Her final game that season came on Jan. 19, 2023.
Under the guidelines the NCAA usually applies for medical redshirts. two conditions are central: the athlete generally can’t participate in more than 30% of games in that season. and the injury that rules the athlete out has to occur within the first half of the season. Mississippi State played 33 games in the 2022-23 campaign, placing the halfway point at game 16. Moore played in game No. 19, which complicates the eligibility argument.
“We’re sitting here waiting. It’s been a long process,” Poppie said. “Hopefully that gives us a little bit more encouragement and optimism that she’ll get (a waiver) passed… The way the rules have always been in the waiver process, we feel very confident that she should be granted an extra year.”
Clemson’s plea arrives as the NCAA tries to reduce uncertainty in eligibility cases. In April. the NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors recommended advancing an age-based eligibility concept that would give athletes up to five years of eligibility beginning the academic year after they turn 19 or graduate from high school. whichever happens earlier.
The proposal. widely called the “5-in-5” rule. would give every NCAA athlete five years to play five seasons of college sports. It would eliminate traditional redshirts and waivers for extra eligibility. except for special circumstances like pregnancy. military service or religious missions. It would also establish clear guidelines for how much eligibility a foreign-born player would have if they played professionally in another country before coming to college. based on their age.
The intent is to make cases like Moore’s less dependent on individual waiver decisions. But the NCAA’s calendar suggests those changes may not come quickly enough to settle Clemson’s immediate situation. A recent report from Yahoo Sports said a vote on the “5-in-5” rule is not expected during the upcoming Division I Cabinet call on Friday. with discussion expected to continue at the next meeting the week of June 22.
For athletic programs, that delay means the waiver process remains a live wire. It also means the NCAA’s push for simplification is unfolding at a time when it is spending significant time in court.
Sportico reported that more than 70 eligibility-related lawsuits have been brought against the NCAA by athletes after having played four seasons within five years. Many of those athletes have sought to keep playing while continuing to earn money through NIL or revenue sharing.
NCAA President Charlie Baker has thrown his support behind the “5-in-5” concept, and some coaches say they want the waiver system to stop producing uneven outcomes.
“I think it’s great,” Louisville coach Jeff Walz said. “I’d love to figure out a way to — let’s stop all the waivers, you know? I see some kids get turned down and then I see other kids get a waiver to play. So let’s just do five-for-five and simplify the process. I’m a huge fan of it.”
Other coaches accept the direction of travel. but they also warn that changing eligibility rules could ripple through recruiting and roster-building in ways programs may not be able to absorb immediately. SMU coach Adia Barnes cautioned that the “5-in-5” rule could make recruiting and the transfer portal more chaotic in the near term.
“It’s going to really hurt high school kids. I think that they’re going to have less opportunities. I think they’re going to make less money. but I think it’ll even out. ” Barnes said. “I think where it’s going to really help is all of these waivers — there’s like 1,600 of them sitting there. I think it’s going to eliminate all that. and I think it’s going to also affect (professional players) overseas (wanting to come play in the NCAA). because then you can’t be a 24-year-old freshman.”.
Barnes also argued the new model would not directly address transferring, saying, “So, you can go to five schools in five years, which is going to be insane…But people don’t care about the degree, they care about the money.”
NCAA eligibility 5-in-5 rule Clemson Tigers women’s basketball Mia Moore waiver Mackenzie Nelson Rusne Augustinaite transfer portal medical redshirt ACC Spring Meetings Charlie Baker NIL eligibility lawsuits