A federal judge in Washington handed down a temporary injunction on Friday that clears the path for a handful of 2022 high-school football recruits to extend their college careers into a fifth season in 2026.
Potential Fifth-Year Candidates
The ruling hinges on the NCAA’s new 5-to-play-5 rule, which grants an additional year to athletes who have already exhausted their four-year eligibility but did not redshirt, effectively allowing them to play a fifth year if they meet the new criteria.
Among those newly eligible is Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who completed 58.3 percent of his passes for 2,760 yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions last season. Also on the list is former Pitt running back Desmond Reid, an All-ACC first-team selection who went undrafted by the Buffalo Bills before being waived with an injury designation on June 11.
Other names that could take advantage of the ruling include Arizona running back Ismail Mahdi, who amassed 859 rushing yards and four touchdowns before declaring for the draft and later becoming a co-owner of a Dickey's Barbecue Pit in Marana, Arizona; Georgia Southern’s OJ Arnold, who posted 1,032 yards and four scores in 2025; and Appalachian State Rashod Dubinion, a third-team All-Sun Belt running back who led his team with 868 rushing yards.
Defensive standouts like South Florida Traevon Mitchell, who logged 29 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks and four quarterback hurries last season, and New Mexico edge rusher Brett Karhu, who recorded 11 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, also find themselves on the eligibility list, though their paths to a fifth year will likely be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
The Athletic's recent feature highlighted a broader pool of candidates, but Ohio State's football staff appears unlikely to chase any of them. Head coach Dave Biddle's program is already at capacity, and the Buckeyes' spring camp kicks off this Thursday, a schedule that further narrows the window for adding fifth-year players.
While the legal reprieve offers a fresh lease on life for athletes such as Caden Curry, Trent Hendrick, Jordan Pollard and Brett Karhu, the practical realities of roster limits and conference dynamics mean only a select few will actually benefit.