Court rulings grant Class of 2022 athletes eligibility for 5th year
By Andrew Olson
Published:
There was major news on the legal front for college athletes on Friday. As it stands right now, Class of 2022 athletes are eligible to play in the 2026-27. There were rulings from a Nashville chancellor and a judge in Colorado.
I’Ashea Myles of the Davidson County Chancery Court issued a temporary injunction to 19 players who were seeking additional eligibility under the NCAA’s new 5-in-5 policy of 5 seasons to be played in 5 years. That group included Jaden Washington (Vanderbilt) and A.J. Storr, (Ole Miss).
“Defendant shall recognize Plaintiffs as eligible for the 2026-2027 basketball season and shall not deny or impede their recruitment, transfer, or certification on the basis of the challenged eligibility determination,” Myles wrote in her ruling, per the Associated Press.
A few hours after Myles’ ruling, U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte N. Sweeney in Colorado cast a wider net. Sweeney granted a temporary injunction to all Class of 2022 high school athletes.
Basketball players, such as Denzel Aberdeen who is seeking a fifth season at Florida, may not get to celebrate just yet. The NCAA can appeal Sweeney’s ruling.
This is just a temporary injunction.
— Neil W. Blackmon (@nwblackmon) July 31, 2026
The NCAA can immediately appeal to the 10th Circuit, and so it is definitely too early to make summary, certain conclusions about 2022 athletes being eligible.
Judge Sweeney has, imo, buried the NCAA’s argument that these claims were… https://t.co/a2txy8tdIv
Currently, some notable names are looking at playing a 5th season of college basketball in 2026-27.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaign of Fred Taylor.
