Colorado Judge Grants Fifth-Year Eligibility to 2022 NCAA Athletes
U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Colorado issued a class‑wide preliminary injunction that grants every high‑school Class of 2022 Division I athlete an additional year of NCAA eligibility. The order covers athletes who began competing in the 2022‑23 season and completed four years of eligibility by the end of the 2025‑26 season, aligning them with the prior class that received an extra year because of the COVID‑19 pandemic.
The ruling blocks the NCAA’s new five‑for‑five rule, which was set to take effect on Aug. 1, 2026 and would have given athletes a five‑year window to play up to five seasons. NCAA President Charlie Baker responded by urging Congress to pass the Protect College Sports Act, citing the “chaos” the decision could cause for college rosters. Earlier state‑court injunctions in Ohio, Tennessee and Texas had already granted similar relief to groups of athletes.
The decision may allow players such as Wisconsin guard Braeden Carrington, Nebraska’s Jamarques Lawrence and several West Virginia University athletes to return for a fifth season, though the NCAA has indicated it will appeal the Colorado order.
Entities: Charlie Baker · Charlotte Sweeney · Class of 2022 athletes · Class of 2022 high‑school athletes · Colorado · Florida Gators · Florida Gators baseball · Judge Charlotte Sweeney · NCAA · National Collegiate Athletic Association · National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) · University of Texas
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Florida Gators baseball roster will have no true fifth‑year seniors as a result of the new NCAA eligibility rules. (article 4)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The new eligibility rules give student‑athletes five years to play five full seasons without redshirting. (article 4)
- [DISPUTED] The NCAA has not yet responded to the Colorado injunction. (article 3)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The injunction requires the NCAA to allow all class‑of‑2022 athletes a fifth year of eligibility. (articles 1, 2, 3)
- [● 2 SOURCES] Similar injunctions were granted in Ohio, Tennessee and Texas for individual athletes challenging the NCAA rule. (articles 2, 3)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The NCAA adopted a new age‑based five‑year eligibility rule set to take effect on Aug. 1, eliminating most waiver exceptions. (articles 2, 3)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The injunction could allow West Virginia University basketball players from the class of 2022 to return for a fifth season. (article 1)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado granted a preliminary injunction extending NCAA eligibility to the high‑school class of 2022. (articles 1, 2, 3)
- [● 13 SOURCES] Similar injunctions were previously granted in Ohio, Tennessee and Texas for groups of athletes challenging the NCAA rule. (new)
- [● 13 SOURCES] NCAA President Charlie Baker urged Congress to pass the Protect College Sports Act in response to the ruling. (new)
- [● 3 SOURCES] The ruling could allow athletes such as Wisconsin guard Braeden Carrington, Nebraska’s Jamarques Lawrence and West Virginia University players to return for a fifth season. (new)
- [● 13 SOURCES] Judge Charlotte Sweeney issued a class‑wide preliminary injunction granting the high‑school Class of 2022 athletes an additional year of NCAA eligibility. (new)