An NCAA committee is reportedly days away from exploring major changes to its athlete eligibility rules, including a new age-based standard and the elimination of redshirts and waivers.
Those with knowledge of the proposal spoke to Yahoo Sports under condition of anonymity, Ross Dellenger reported.
"NCAA athletes would have five full years of eligibility from the time of their 19th birthday or their high school graduation, whichever is earliest," Dellenger, Yahoo's senior college football reporter, wrote. "No waiver requests, redshirts or exceptions will be permitted, except for a small group of outliers (those on maternity leave, military service or religious missions)."
Members of the NCAA Division I Cabinet are set to review the proposal at their meeting next week, according to Dellenger. The legislation is considered an urgent matter with potential for implementation as soon as the 2026-27 academic year, he wrote.
"Any implementation is expected to be phased in as is the case with most new NCAA policy. For instance, leaders will take strides to avoid adversely impacting any current athlete’s long-term eligibility under existing rules," Dellenger reported. "What’s unclear is if those players completing or having completed their final, fourth season of eligibility will regain a fifth season if they fall within the new policy’s five-year window."
The proposal aligns with a concept embedded in President Trump’s executive order announced Friday, which instructed the NCAA to pass legislation over a variety of issues, including a five-year eligibility standard for athletes.
Related: Trump's Second College Sports Executive Order Seeks Eligibility Limits, Enforcement Options
As reported by Dellenger, under current NCAA rules, athletes are granted four playing seasons over a five-year calendar, with the option to regain a season of eligibility through a redshirt or waiver request. While the new policy would grant athletes a fifth season of eligibility, the proposal sets a starting date of the five-year clock: age 19 or high school graduation.
Most notably, the proposal eliminates the ability for athletes to regain seasons of eligibility through redshirts (even for medical reasons) and waivers, which have complicated the eligibility system and resulted in many of the organization’s legal entanglements, Dellenger reported.
