The NCAA announced this week that, beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, it will implement a five-year, age-based eligibility framework for all student-athletes. The change simplifies the previous waiver and redshirt system and ties a player's eligibility clock to full-time enrollment or the academic year in which they turn 19.
Under the new rule, each athlete receives five seasons of eligibility, regardless of how many years they spend redshirting. The policy eliminates the need for waivers and creates a uniform five-for-five structure that will apply to all freshmen entering college in the fall of 2027.
Eligibility impact on Iowa State
For the Cyclones, the rule means that several current players will see their eligibility extended, while others will not. Incoming transfers Taj Manning, Leon Bond III and Ryan Prather Jr. will not gain an additional season because they exhausted their eligibility during the 2025-26 year.
Senior Blake Buchanan, who was previously a true senior, now receives a fifth year of eligibility and could return for the 2027-28 season. The rest of the Cyclones' roster also gains an extra year, giving the program additional flexibility as it reshapes its scholarship chart.
The shift leaves Iowa State with a single open roster spot after Jackson Kiss backed out of his commitment, and it sets up a series of decisions over the next four cycles as the team balances departures and arrivals.
Looking ahead to the next decade
Players such as Dominykas Pleta, a 21-year-old forward, will have four years of eligibility remaining, while Jamarion Batemon, Killyan Toure and Xzavion Mitchell are slated to exhaust their eligibility in the 2029-30 campaign. The extended timeline also affects other Cyclones including Tre Singleton, Anthony Rise and Yusef Gray Jr., who will benefit from the prolonged eligibility window.
Coach TJ Otzelberger and his staff will need to plan for a roster that retains key veterans through the late 2020s while integrating new talent, a transition that could reshape the program's competitive outlook for years to come.