Which Jackson State athletes could get extra year of eligibility after court ruling
Following a ruling made by U.S. District Court of Colorado judge Charlotte Sweeney, several Jackson State athletes could choose to return for a fifth year of eligibility.
On July 31, Sweeney granted an injunction that would allow some college athletes who graduated from high school in 2022 to have a fifth year of NCAA eligibility. The NCAA has already submitted an appeal of Sweeney’s decision.
The decision stems from a challenge raised against the NCAA’s new eligibility model. The new age-based model allows students five years of eligibility, eliminating waiver and redshirt options. The new rules were intended to apply to current athletes and every incoming freshman class from 2026-27 onward.
This injunction would allow some athletes to come back, but they are still subjected to transfer portal limitations and schools must still adhere to roster limits. Players who signed professional contracts also remain ineligible.
Here are some of the JSU athletes who could return.
Limited options available for Jackson State football returnees
Jackson State football has four players who would be eligible to come back: linebacker Reid Pulliam, defensive back B.J. Washington and defensive linemen Kanye Varner and Tymon Wells.
Pulliam was a first-team All-SWAC selection and the team’s leading tackler in 2025. He had 74 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Washington, a starting safety, was fifth in tackles and led the team in pass breakups. He totaled 50 tackles, two interceptions, six pass breakups and two fumble recoveries.
Wells started 10 games at defensive tackle, making 28 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks, and Varner had six tackles and a sack in seven games as an edge rusher.
Defensive back Levi Wyatt Jr., who made 12 tackles and four pass breakups, would have also been eligible to return. He died in a car accident on July 31.
Wide receiver Ja’Naylon Dupree, who had the second-most receiving yards on the team, signed an undrafted free agent deal with the Cleveland Browns, making him ineligible to return.
Two players can return for Jackson State basketball
Forwards Devin Ree and Raevon Thomas are eligible returnees for Jackson State men’s basketball.
Ree transferred to JSU after stops at Louisiana Tech and Louisville. He played in 33 games with 18 starts and averaged 5.4 points and 3.0 rebounds. Thomas made 15 starts in 25 games, averaging 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds.
Two Jackson State women’s basketball starters eligible to return
Jackson State women’s basketball is the program with the most impactful group of potential returners.
Starting guards Jaileyah Cotton and Rhema Pegues could both return. Reserve forward Jada Patton, who averaged 5.8 points and 3.1 rebounds, is also eligible to return, but said she was not planning to in a message sent to The Clarion Ledger on Aug. 4.
Cotton was the Tigers’ starting point guard the last two seasons after transferring from East Tennessee State. Last season she was third on the team with 9.1 points per game and also averaged 4.5 rebounds, 1.4 steals and a team-high 3.4 assists.
Pegues was a transfer from North Alabama. In her lone season with JSU, she averaged 9.9 points, the second-most on the team, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists. Her season was cut short after 24 games due to injury.
Pegues joined the coaching staff at Charleston Southern as a grad assistant after leaving JSU. After the ruling was announced, Pegues made a post on social media indicating a potential return. “One more year chat??” she wrote.
Tia Reid covers Jackson State sports for the Clarion Ledger. Email her at treid@usatodayco.com and follow her on X @tiareid65.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Which Jackson State athletes could get extra year of eligibility after court ruling
