5-in-5 rule approved by NCAA D1 Cabinet
· Yahoo Sports
The NCAA Division I Cabinet has unanimously approved the age-based eligibility rule commonly known as “five-in-five” according to an announcement by the NCAA on Tuesday morning. The rule will not officially be adopted until the end of meetings on Wednesday.
The Division I Cabinet has unanimously voted to approve the age-based eligibility model. Additional details to follow.
The Cabinet’s decision is not final until its meeting concludes Wednesday.Visit bettingx.bond for more information.
— NCAA News (@NCAA_PR) June 23, 2026
The rule eliminates redshirts but allows all players to play for five years. Those years are tied to their age or enrollment in college.
The five-year clock starts the academic year after the athlete turns 19 years old or when the athlete enrolls in college, whichever is earlier. There are exceptions for pregnancy, military service, and religious missions.
The rule is not retroactive, meaning players who just finished their senior years in college are not eligible to come back next season. Given the onslaught of lawsuits over eligibility in recent years, this may open the door to yet more legal maneuvering by players and lawyers.
Attorneys Ryan Downton & Darren Heitner say they are planning to file legal action on behalf of more than 50 basketball players seeking a fifth season in light of the NCAA's new 5-year eligibility rule. Lawsuits will be filed in five different states starting this week. https://t.co/twRxfO60CQ
— Ross Dellenger (@RossDellenger) June 23, 2026
While the rule may have less of an impact on men’s basketball or other sports where athletes commit later in the recruiting cycle or regularly leave before eligibility runs out, it could have far-reaching impact on sports with earlier commitment timelines at the Power 4 level.
Sports like women’s volleyball and gymnastics are currently taking verbal commitments from athletes who will not suit up until the 2028-29 academic year. These athletes will be on campus when current juniors were supposed to have exhausted their eligibility. Coaches must now pivot in mid-air to consider whether those juniors will be coming back for a fifth year and how that affects the roster limits established by the House settlement.