The NCAA approved a seismic change to eligibility rules on Tuesday afternoon, voting to enact a new aged-based model that gives student-athletes Five years of competition.
The NCAA Division I cabinet voted unanimously to eliminate redshirts and other waivers, as well enact a five-year running clock for student-athletes to compete in that begins when they enroll or turn 19 years old, whichever comes earliest.
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.
— NCAA News (@NCAA_PR) June 23, 2026
The new model is planned to go into effect for athletes who have any eligibility left after 2025-26 academic school year. According to implementation discussions in May, the NCAA says players that completed their fourth year of eligibility after spring 2026 and did not redshirt will not be granted additional eligibility.
The vote was held after a Division I Board of Directors meeting emphasized the need for action before the next academic year began. The new model is the NCAA’s latest attempt to curb athletes from using waivers and litigation to continue their playing careers into their mid-20s.R
For the last several years, players have used waivers to extend their eligibility. Waivers paused the original five-year time frame that student-athletes had to complete four seasons with the NCAA’s old model. With the new age-based model, players have five years to compete, no matter what.
The new rule, not even made official yet, is already being legally challenged. Miam-based Sports and entertainment lawyer Darren Heitner, who has represented many different prominent NIL and eligibility cases, told On3 and CBS that lawsuits are being prepared on behalf of 55 college basketball players from the Class of 2022 that just completed their fourth season and will miss out on a fifth year of competition.
Our initial focus will be basketball players who just completed their 4th season and have been unfairly excluded from a 5th year of competition. Once again, the NCAA has proven that it will act arbitrarily with the enforcement of its rules. We will hold them accountable. https://t.co/MPDrsxGjBTpic.twitter.com/DwgbzSH0j2
— Darren Heitner (@heitner) June 23, 2026
Who is affected by the NCAA’s new age-based model?
All student-athletes with any eligibility remaining at the end of the 2025-26 academic year will have to comply to the new rule. All student-athletes that enroll during the 2026-27 will be the first class that enters college sports under the new model.
Are there still redshirts in the NCAA?
The NCAA removed most waivers, including the redshirt waiver. The only listed exceptions are for pregnancy, official religious missions and active-duty military service, provided the student-athlete does not participate in organized competition.
How does the age-based model affect the transfer portal?
The transfer portal has evolved into a market economy, where the best and most experienced players get paid the most money. The longer you stayed in college, the older and more experienced you got, and the more valuable you became.
Under the new model, players’ ability to compete in college for sixth, seventh or even eighth years is now gone. The portal will still fire on all cylinders as long as NIL deals remain incredibly high, but without mercenaries in their mid-20s chasing those bags, programs can now only select from a pool of players that are actually college-aged.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: NCAA eliminates redshirts, enacts 5-year window for student-athletes
