Universal five-year eligibility appears to be on track to become a reality in Division I college sports.
The NCAA says it is going to vote on a five-year plan in June, and most national commentators believe it will pass with ease.
The new rules will mean every D-I athlete automatically gets five seasons of eligibility in college, and redshirts and waivers will become a thing of the past.
So what will that mean for IU football?
A lot of Indiana’s current players have already taken a redshirt season, and for them, there should be no real impact.
But several key players have not taken a redshirt season and would not currently be candidates for medical hardship waivers. For them, suddenly a previously unexpected fifth season of eligibility will likely become available this summer.
Here are those players, and how much remaining eligibility they will have if five-year eligibility passes:
RUNNING BACK
- Turbo Richard, Running back — Would go from two years left to three years.
WIDE RECEIVER
- Davion Chandler, Wide Receiver — Would go from three years left to four years.
- Lebron Bond, Wide Receiver — Would go from three years left to four years.
- Nick Marsh, Wide Receiver — Would go from two years left to three years.
- Charlie Becker, Wide Receiver — Would go from two years left to three years.
SAFETY
- Amare Ferrell, Safety — Would go from one year left to two years.
- Byron Baldwin, Safety — Would go from three years left to four years.
- Quan Sanks, Safety — Would go from two years left to three years.
- Garrett Reese, Safety — Would go from three years left to four years.
CORNERBACK
- Jaylen Bell, Cornerback — Would go from three years left to four years.
- AJ Harris, Cornerback — Would go from one year left to two years.
LINEBACKER
- Rolijah Hardy, Linebacker — Would go from two years left to three years.
DEFENSIVE LINE
- Daniel Ndukwe, Edge — Would go from two years left to three years.
- Mario Landino, Defensive Line — Would go from two years left to three years.
SPECIAL TEAMS
- Billy Gowers, Punter — Would go from three years left to four years.
In addition, all incoming freshmen in 2026 would be on the five-year plan.
For the anticipated impact on IU basketball, GO HERE:
NCAA set for June vote on 5-year eligibility, approval likely: What it means for IU basketball
Below is the NCAA’s full release on the new plan:
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Division I Cabinet continues discussions of age-based collegiate eligibility model
Cabinet determines likely implementation process; vote on overall concept expected in June
The Division I Cabinet on Friday discussed possible implementation of an age-based eligibility model, should the concept ultimately be formally proposed and approved. The Cabinet also signaled that it would consider voting on the age-based eligibility model at its June meeting.
If adopted, the age-based eligibility model would replace current eligibility rules in Division I, instead allowing student-athletes up to five years of competition within their chosen sport during a five-year window that begins the academic year following their high school graduation or their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first.
Under the age-based model, waivers would no longer be available to extend eligibility, with exceptions for pregnancy, official religious missions and active-duty military service, provided the student-athlete does not participate in organized competition.
Sport-specific exceptions and grace periods are not expected.
In an effort to provide clear and predictable guidelines and make a transition to the model as seamless as possible, the Cabinet outlined the expected implementation process, should the change be adopted. Specifically, the implementation options currently contemplated include:
- Student-athletes whose fourth season of collegiate eligibility was completed by spring 2026: No additional eligibility.
- Currently enrolled student-athletes with eligibility remaining after the 2025-26 academic year: Flexibility for schools to apply the age-based model or continue with the previous eligibility rules (four seasons to compete with five total years of eligibility), whichever is most beneficial to that individual.
- Prospects expected to graduate from high school in spring 2027: Age-based model only.
- Prospects expected to graduate from high school in spring 2026, regardless of planned enrollment date: Age-based model only.
- Prospects who graduated prior to spring 2026 and have not enrolled: The NCAA Eligibility Center will review the prospect’s individual circumstances and apply the age-based model or existing delayed enrollment eligibility rules, whichever is most beneficial to that individual.
For schools with current student-athletes who may be eligible for hardship waivers or extensions of eligibility, the Cabinet indicated that the deadline to submit any waiver requests to NCAA staff is July 31. After that date, waivers would no longer be available for current student-athletes or prospects.
For complete coverage of IU football, GO HERE.
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