You've probably been hearing about this for months. This week it became official.

The Division I Cabinet unanimously approved a sweeping overhaul of eligibility rules, permitting Division I student-athletes up to five years of eligibility if they enroll in college no later than the academic year after their 19th birthday.

The old system gave athletes four seasons of competition within a five-year window, with sport-specific rules, redshirt rules, and a waiver process for exceptions.

The new age-based eligibility rule establishes a simpler, single five-year eligibility period tied to age and college enrollment, replacing rules that counted seasons of competition and included multiple waiver options and rules that varied by sport.

One important clarification on the nickname going around: while some have referred to this as the NCAA "5 for 5" rule, that is not accurate. The age-based rule centers on a student-athlete's age and when the student enrolls full time in college, and it does not guarantee five years for all student-athletes.

This is the part that affects families with athletes currently in college.

Under the age-based eligibility model, waivers will not be available — including clock extensions and waivers previously granted for hardships, seasons of competition, and delayed enrollment.

For current student-athletes with eligibility remaining under the previous rules, schools must submit any season-of-competition or eligibility clock extension waiver requests based on circumstances that occurred during or before the 2025-26 academic year, and all supporting documentation, to the national office no later than July 31, 2026. After that date, waivers of the previous rules will no longer be available.

If that applies to your athlete, talk to their program now. That deadline is five weeks away.

Under the old system, players generally had four years of eligibility. Since Covid, we’ve seen that change a bit, but typically rosters would turn over on a four year cycle.

Under the new model, athletes can play five full seasons. That means players stay on rosters longer. If a coach has a full roster of players with eligibility remaining, they have less room to bring in new recruits.

The math seems simple: longer eligibility for current players + roster caps at many places = smaller recruiting classes.

For example if a women’s roster is capped a 38, the average class would be about 9 players on a four year cycle. Now, that average would be closer to 6 if everyone took all five years.

However, coaches and institutions are all still trying to figure out exactly how this will affect their programs.

It is not guaranteed that every program will allow their players to use their fifth year at their program or commit a roster spot / financial resources for five years.

This rule was built to simplify a system that had gotten genuinely complicated. For most athletes going straight from high school to college, it delivers an extra season of eligibility.

But the recruiting side is still being figured out in real time. Coaches don't have answers yet. Programs are going to make different decisions about fifth years, roster spots, and financial aid.

That uncertainty isn't going away quickly.

Coach Class and Coach Dunn

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