The NCAA is reportedly considering a significant overhaul of college athletes’ eligibility rules, with the removal of medical redshirts and other waivers among the topics under discussion. The proposal is scheduled to be reviewed next week, but a timeline for adoption remains uncertain.
NCAA Reportedly Considering Overhaul to Eligibility Rules
Currently, student-athletes who suffer season-ending injuries and play fewer than 30% of their team’s games are allowed to regain a year of eligibility. But according to Ross Dellenger of Yahoo! Sports, a significant change to the medical redshirt program could be implemented.
The report claims that a proposal for a new age-based standard for athlete eligibility has been in the works for weeks, and it will be explored by an NCAA committee next week. This new proposal would allow athletes to receive five full years of eligibility, starting from their 19th birthday or high school graduation.
This proposed shift would eliminate most medical redshirts and other waivers, and would allow exceptions only in rare cases (such as maternity leave, military service, or religious missions).
Currently, athletes have five years to complete four years of competition, with the period starting at their full-time enrollment in college. However, retroactive medical redshirts and waivers are awarded to some athletes after a year has passed, giving them the opportunity to extend their college careers beyond five years.
This new proposal would grant athletes a fifth season of eligibility, starting at age 19 or after their high school graduation. However, athletes would not be able to regain seasons of eligibility through redshirts or waivers in most cases.
This is also in line with an executive order signed by President Donald Trump last Friday that calls for eligibility and transfer reforms, and also aims to “support enforcement of clear, consistent, and fair rules on eligibility, transfers, and compensation.”
This topic has been the subject of plenty of debate in recent seasons, with schools and conference executives among those leading calls for a solution. Some have felt that athletes taking an extra season takes a spot away from a younger recruit or prospect.
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There have also been a number of high-profile eligibility cases in courts in recent months involving the NCAA and college athletes.
It remains to be seen if this new proposal will be introduced, and whether current athletes will be affected by it. But an age-based standard for athlete eligibility could be aimed at addressing one of the biggest issues in college sports.
