August is setting up to be a wild month across college sports.
Get ready for some last minute roster reshuffling.
Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court of Colorado granted a class-wide preliminary injunction on Friday requiring the NCAA to declare all athletes from the high school class of 2022 eligible for the 2026-27 year.
“All persons in the United States who began to play in collegiate sports in the 2022-2023 season, competed in NCAA Division I sports, and completed four years of eligibility as defined by the NCAA’s prior rules by the conclusion of the 2025-2026 season, and are therefore barred from playing a fifth season due to the NCAA’s adoption and immediate implementation of the Five-Year Eligibility Rule,” the class certification read.
This development comes after the NCAA passed its five-year eligibility model this summer but did not extend a fifth year to class of 2022 athletes who exhausted all of their eligibility under the old rules during the 2025-26 academic year.
This means the following players from the 2025 Indiana football team now have a fifth year of eligibility:
- Aiden Fisher, linebacker
- Stephen Daley, defensive end
- Kellan Wyatt, defensive end
- Elijah Sarratt, wide receiver
- Holden Staes, tight end
- Jonathan Brady, wide receiver
- Mitch McCarthy, punter
The ruling entails a transfer portal window for all players impacted that runs from August 3-10. So no player should be required to stay at Indiana, and the IU staff should have the option to pursue newly eligible players from other schools.
Of course Fisher and Sarratt were both drafted in April and they’ve both signed contracts. Even if eligible, it is highly unlikely either would have interest in returning to college. Brady is currently at the Las Vegas Raiders’ training camp.
Daley and Wyatt were both injured during the 2025 season. If recovered, they could certainly be high-impact additions to a roster.
Staes is very intriguing from an IU standpoint since every tight end on their roster is a freshman or redshirt freshman.
The NCAA could announce a blanket waiver for class of 2022 athletes in order to avoid further uncertainty. But it could also appeal the U.S. District Court ruling, which would add courtroom twists and turns in the weeks to come. IU fans experienced something similar last year when safety Louis Moore sought and eventually won an extra year of eligibility.
For IU basketball both Sam Alexis and Reed Bailey are part of the class of 2022 and were already seeking an injunction to return to college. Alexis obtained an injunction ruling on Friday as part of a Tennessee ruling. Both Alexis and Bailey are also covered under this sweeping federal ruling.
For IU women’s basketball, Shay Ciezki is covered as well, although she has played in the WNBA this season.
In response to the federal ruling, NCAA President Charlie Baker restated the importance of passing the Protect College Sports Act, designed to provide the NCAA antitrust protection on the eligibility issues.
“Today’s rulings and the chaos they bring to college sports are exactly why it’s time to pass this bill,” Baker said.
On Friday evening the Big Ten Conference and Southeastern Conference said in a joint statement they support the Protect College Sports Act as currently drafted, following “detailed and productive negotiations with Senators Cruz, Cantwell and Schmitt, and their respective staffs.”
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