A group of fifteen college basketball players has filed a lawsuit in Hamilton County, Ohio, challenging the NCAA’s newly adopted five‑year eligibility framework.
Legal Challenge to NCAA's Eligibility Overhaul
The plaintiffs, including Xavier forward Filip Borovicanin and Cincinnati guard MJ Collins, argue that the NCAA’s application of the new rules unfairly restricts their ability to compete and earn compensation during the 2026‑27 season.
Under the NCAA’s revised model, every Division I athlete will receive a five‑year eligibility window that begins either at age nineteen or upon enrollment, with limited exceptions for military service, pregnancy or religious missions. The policy also eliminates traditional redshirt and waiver provisions.
Because the new system does not apply to athletes who exhausted their fourth year of eligibility during the 2025‑26 academic year, Borovicanin, Collins and their teammates say they have been denied the opportunity to use the full five‑year window and are seeking a preliminary injunction to be declared eligible for the upcoming season.
The lawsuit, brought by attorneys Ryan Downton and Darren Heitner, contends that the NCAA’s selective enforcement violates antitrust principles and deprives players of earnings they would have otherwise realized. Legal experts predict that more than fifty similar actions could be filed across the country in the coming weeks.