A federal appeals court temporarily halted a ruling that would have granted thousands of college athletes an extra year of eligibility. The 2-1 decision by the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver pauses the lower-court order as football season opens, leaving dozens of parallel state lawsuits unresolved.
The legal battle over college sports eligibility took a sharp turn when a federal appeals court on Friday temporarily halted a district judge’s order that would have allowed thousands of athletes who finished their careers last season to return for another year. The 2-1 ruling from a panel of the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver freezes the lower-court directive while the appeal proceeds.
Tenth Circuit Decision Halts Extra Year for Class of 2022
The underlying lawsuit centers on athletes who graduated from high school in 2022. Their college eligibility ended last season, leaving them excluded from the NCAA’s new rule granting five years of eligibility to Division I athletes starting next season. The 2-1 decision by a panel of the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals offers the organization a substantial victory, agreeing with arguments that the NCAA would suffer greater harm than the players if the lower-court order remained in effect.
Plaintiffs argued that restricting athletes from a fifth year also cuts off educational and name, image, and likeness compensation opportunities available to players one year younger. The NCAA countered that rosters across the country are already set for the upcoming academic year.
“Fairness is in the eye of the beholder.”
In its legal filing, the organization explained that countless student-athletes already on campuses, and schools who built their rosters in reliance on the rules the NCAA’s membership wrote and agreed to follow, do not believe it is fair for thousands of formerly-ineligible athletes to return to competition at the start of the 2026–27 season.
Roster Chaos and State-Court Lawsuits Across College Sports
Despite the federal appeals court ruling, the decision does little to settle the dozens of parallel lawsuits piling up in state courts. Sam Ehrlich, a former lawyer who works at Boise State and operates the College Sports Litigation Tracker, noted that the flurry of state-level filings served as a precautionary measure.
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Athletes affected by the shifting legal landscape include defensive linemen Kellan Wyatt and Stephan Daley, both members of the national champion Indiana roster from last season, who planned returns following the initial lower-court decision. Meanwhile, former Ole Miss starters Dae’Quan Wright, Zxavian Harris, and Wydett Williams secured rulings from a Louisiana state court granting another season of eligibility despite signing with NFL teams over the summer.
Basketball programs face similar complications. Gonzaga recently added Javon Bennett from Dayton and Chauncey Wiggins from Florida State, both of whom secured eligibility victories in separate courts. Gonzaga coach Mark Few pointed to timing as a central driver of the administrative turmoil.
Legal Next Steps and Response From Plaintiffs’ Counsel
Scott Bearby, the NCAA’s chief legal officer, issued a memo confirming that member schools would face no disciplinary action for playing athletes between the July 31 lower-court ruling and Friday’s stay, while reiterating that those players are no longer eligible. Bearby also acknowledged that the NCAA would continue to defend lawsuits around the country, signaling ongoing courtroom battles.
Rob Shelquist, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, characterized the 10th Circuit ruling as strictly procedural rather than a final judgment on the core antitrust arguments.
While the NCAA also secured a temporary pause on a similar injunction in Ohio involving Xavier basketball player Filip Borovicanin, legal experts note that judges in other jurisdictions have largely ruled against the organization regarding the Class of 2022 restrictions. The full appeal before the 10th Circuit is expected to take several months.
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