Court dissolves fifth-year eligibility injunction for college basketball players
The Kentucky Court of Appeals dissolved a temporary injunction on October 2 that had allowed fifth-year eligibility for Missouri's Mark Mitchell, Louisville's Seth Trimble, LSU's Skyy Clark, and other college athletes. The ruling leaves their eligibility status uncertain pending further court proceedings. The affected players are expected to file individual lawsuits in their states of residence.
A Kentucky Court of Appeals dissolved a temporary injunction on October 2 that had allowed fifth-year eligibility for college basketball players including Missouri's Mark Mitchell, Louisville's Seth Trimble, and LSU's Skyy Clark, leaving their eligibility status uncertain pending further court proceedings. The ruling came after the NCAA adopted an age-based eligibility model in June that will grant players five years of eligibility moving forward. The new model sparked a flurry of lawsuits from players seeking to be covered by the rule and play a fifth season in 2026-27, according to CBS Sports. The dissolution of the injunction does not mark the end of the Kentucky case; further litigation is pending in the Kentucky courts. Mitchell and other basketball players affected by the ruling are expected to file individual lawsuits in their states of residence, per CBS Sports. Mitchell is a potential all-SEC performer. According to CBS Sports, Missouri projects as the No. 39 team in Evanmiya.com's preseason rankings with him but as the No. 54 team without him. College basketball season starts in approximately one month, leaving limited time for legal resolution before the season begins. The NCAA has not backed off its stance that players who previously played four seasons are out of eligibility, per CBS Sports. However, some fifth-year players are now on track to be eligible while others caught up in the Kentucky case still seek legal cover for their returns.
Mitchell is a potential all-SEC performer; Missouri projects as the No. 39 team with him in preseason rankings but as No. 54 without him, according to Evanmiya.com rankings cited by CBS Sports.
The Kentucky court did not resolve the broader question of whether the NCAA's age-based model applies retroactively to athletes who completed four seasons under the old rules. Mitchell and his co-plaintiffs must now navigate individual state lawsuits with no guarantee of resolution before November, when the season begins.
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