NCAA Ignites Fanbase by Considering Bizarre New Eligibility Rule

The NCAA landscape continues to change and grow in the modern era of NIL and the transfer portal, though some might argue it is not for the better.

As players continue to find ways to continue their lives as “student-athletes” for seven, eight or even nine years, fans continue to long for the college sports of the past.

The NCAA is considering a fifth year of eligibility for everyone

According to CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein, the NCAA is looking into an eligibility system that would allow players to have five years of eligibility instead of the current four.

NEWS: The NCAA is considering allowing five years of eligibility for players in all sports moving forward, according to an NCAA official.https://t.co/XLIhOdLxl5

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) January 3, 2025

A temporary extra year of eligibility was given to players who were in college during COVID, so the idea of five years of eligibility has already been fleshed out to some degree. The 2024-25 season would be the last batch of extra COVID years of eligibility should the rules remain unchanged.

Between redshirts, medical redshirts and a COVID year, Miami Hurricanes tight end Cam McCormick was able to continue to play college football for nine years. When McCormick started playing college football, the 2024 season’s freshman class was in fifth grade and Barack Obama was the president of the United States.

With a fifth year of eligibility added to all athletes, scenarios like McCormick’s could become more commonplace.

Fans are not happy with the NCAA and the potential rule change being discussed

Fans took to social media to express their displeasure with a potential fifth year of eligibility for all athletes. Many fans are already growing weary of the modern college football era that has been defined by the transfer portal and NIL.

Many fans argue that this potential rule change is a continuation of the morphing of college sports into semi-pro sports, thus stripping away what makes college sports special. A titan of the sport, now-retired Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban made the same argument in an article from On3.

“We’re moving in the sort of semi-pro direction in terms of, there’s pay-for-play now. We call it name, image and likeness, but that’s pay-for-play, basically — and I’m all for the players sharing in what’s happening,” the Alabama head coach said Wednesday. “You’ve got guys transferring from one team to the next at will with very little guidelines as to how to control any of these things, and we’re gonna have a playoff very similar to the NFL.

“And I’m not saying any of those things are bad. I’m just saying they’re all completely changes from what we had five years ago, 10 years ago, whatever.”

Just go ahead and create semi pro leagues and do away with college sports entirely. Do away with the concept of “student-athletes”. It makes me gag every time I hear the NCAA mentions the phrase “student-athlete”

— Luke A (@Luke102452) January 3, 2025

Only a vaguely sane proposal if they do away with redshirts, injury shirts, etc. otherwise you’ll have athletes getting tenure before their college sports career is done.

— Coach Stacy (@StacyBehr) January 3, 2025

Bad for high school seniors among many other things. Most 18 year old will not physically be able to compete with 23 year olds in any sport.

— Brett Griffin (@SpotterBrett) January 3, 2025

Please explain how this is a good thing. If anything, the NCAA needs to tighten the reigns. The portal and NIL are wrecking the culture of college basketball and now they want to extend that an extra year?? What’s next, everyone makes the tournament??

— Mark Gasbarro (@1997Friar) January 3, 2025

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