The NCAA is up against a federal class action lawsuit over its new eligibility rules, once again forcing college sports’ governing body to duke it out in the courtroom.
The class action suit, brought by 11 college athletes and filed in Colorado, claims that the student athletes have been adversely affected by the new eligibility rules — due to the fact that their ability to play longer in college has been impacted and thus impacting the NIL benefits that come with it. The plaintiffs include basketball stars Cade Tyson of Minnesota and Brock Wisne of Northern Colorado.
“Plaintiffs are a talented group of NCAA Division I collegiate athletes and students who come to this Court as a last resort and as a direct result of the NCAA’s unlawful action in implementing a new eligibility rule on June 24, 2026 (hereinafter the ‘Five-Year Eligibility Rule’) in a manner designed to prevent Plaintiffs from playing their sports at an NCAA member college or university for the 2026-2027 season,” the complaint stated, per ESPN.
“Unless the Court grants Plaintiffs both immediate and lasting relief, Plaintiffs will incur significant and monetary damages. More specifically, Plaintiffs will forever lose the opportunity to complete the remainder of their collegiate careers alongside their teammates who will benefit from the rule change — as well as significant Name, Image, and Likeness [“NIL”] compensation that is contingent on them playing this next season. And in some cases, despite the NCAA’s stated concern for athletes’ educational opportunities, Plaintiffs will lose the scholarships and opportunities that they are counting on to finish their desired degrees.”
Under the new eligibility rule, all college athletes are granted five years to compete; however, that did not include those who used their eligibility in the 2025-26 collegiate season with an additional year.
The NCAA has faced an uphill battle with its new eligibility rules after facing several state lawsuits.
A judge in Ohio ruled in favor of 24 men’s and women’s college basketball players, granting them a preliminary injunction that would allow them to continue playing in college and enter the transfer portal. The judge ruled that the new system by the NCAA impacted them unfairly.