Rutgers Recruit Sues NCAA Over Five-Year Rule and $500K NIL Deal

Another NIL-based lawsuit against the NCAA has been filed, this time calling out the organization’s five-year eligibility rule. The lawsuit was filed by Jett Elad, who plays safety and recently transferred to Rutgers University. Elad has previously played football for Ohio University and the University of Nevada Las Vegas, and attending junior college. Now, he’s arguing that he should have more eligibility remaining to capitalize on lucrative NIL deals.

According to Athlon Sports, Elad said the five-year rule punishes players who have attended junior college. 

Elad claimed, “his unique situation—having redshirted, played limited games, and then spent a year in junior college—deserves a fair chance to capitalize on NIL opportunities like other athletes.”

Also on the line for Elad is a $500,000 NIL deal. Rutgers University has also joined the fight, after recruiting Elad, the school petitioned for a waiver to appeal the NCAA’s ruling.

Sports Illustrated released a portion of the complaint. “The NCAA’s rule will permanently deprive [Elad] of a once-in-a-lifetime NIL deal.” And this lawsuit closely mirrors one brought by Vanderbilt University quarterback Diego Pavia, who won his suit and earned one additional season of eligibility with the Commodores. 

The Scarlet Knight’s head football coach, Greg Schiano, wouldn’t confirm to Football Scoop if Elad’s $500,000 potential NIL deal was his expected payday from the university. Instead, Schiano said, “Yeah, I’m never going to get into it, unless I’m publicly required to reveal it, I’ll never get into who is getting what. Just don’t believe everything you read, is something that I learned a long time ago. Jett is a really good player. Glad he’s here.”

The hearing is set for April 3 in Trenton, N.J., and it could be a precedent-setting case for players like Elad who take an untraditional route to the NCAA.