How will NCAA's new eligibility rules impact Syracuse Orange athletes moving forward?

Earlier this week, the NCAA's Division I Cabinet unanimously approved a massive overhaul of its eligibility rules, a move that experts say could have a significant impact on Syracuse Orange athletes and their peers around the country at the Division I level.

The NCAA's new age-based eligibility model, which gives athletes in all sports five years of collegiate eligibility over five seasons, will also have lasting implications as it pertains to college coaches' roster construction and recruiting efforts.

The new rules allow athletes to have up to five years of eligibility "if they enroll in college no later than the academic year after their 19th birthday." This new age-based eligibility model will eliminate redshirts and waivers, and that's a good thing, because the whole process needs to be streamlined. Still, even with the new rules, litigation is expected to continue.

"For many student-athletes who enroll in college immediately after high school, these changes will result in the opportunity to potentially compete for an additional season in their chosen sport," said Josh Whitman, the athletics director at Illinois and chair of the NCAA's Division I Cabinet, in a prepared statement. "For campus officials and coaches, this change provides rules that are simpler to administer and easier to predict for roster management decisions."

Syracuse and its Division I peers have to contend with new eligibility rules for their athletes.

Previously, the NCAA permitted Division I players to have four seasons of competition within five years. With athletes now able to compete for five seasons, head coaches such as Gerry McNamara of SU basketball and Fran Brown of Orange football will have to keep that in mind as they build their rosters.

The new rules will be effective for all players who enroll full-time in college in the fall of 2027 or later. Athletes who used their final campaign of competition, under the previous rules, during the 2025-26 stanza will not be granted additional eligibility, and that will spark lawsuits, experts say.

For athletes who have eligibility remaining, under the previous rules, after the 2025-26 academic year, they can use either the previous rules or the new age-based model, "whichever is most beneficial to the student-athlete," per the NCAA release. This also applies to athletes who are enrolling full-time at any college or university for the upcoming 2026-27 academic year.

For prospects who enroll full-time at any college or university in the fall of 2027 or later, the new age-based model will apply to them.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow