Does the NCAA need to handle eligibility controversy? (2:49)The “College GameDay” crew discusses the potential ramifications of allowing former college players to return to college basketball. (2:49)
Pete ThamelApr 27, 2026, 06:07 PM ETMultiple Authors
As the NCAA considers a generational change to the organization’s eligibility rules for athletes, some potential clarity emerged regarding one of the most vexing parts of the age-based eligibility proposal.
NCAA president Charlie Baker told ESPN in a phone interview Monday that the implementation, which had been uncertain, is not expected to include athletes who graduated or exhausted their eligibility in the 2025-26 season.
“If you’ve used up your eligibility, you’ve used it up,” Baker told ESPN of the tenor of the discussion of the Division I board of directors on Monday.
Baker added that he is “pretty optimistic” the new rules will pass. The age-based eligibility would give athletes five years to compete in Division I, starting immediately after their high school graduation or 19th birthday, whichever comes first.
Baker added to ESPN regarding the implementation directive: “A lot of the coaches, in particular, said this would be enormously challenging in a lot of ways. And I completely understand where they are coming from. It would also be unfair to a lot of these kids who are going to be part of the new world and weren’t part of the old world.”
The Division I cabinet has said previously that the new model would include potential exceptions for circumstances, such as pregnancy, military service and religious missions.
“It’s a significant shift,” Baker said. “It’s one that I think, because of the simplicity and ease of understanding, in particular, has a lot of support in the membership.”
Does the NCAA need to handle eligibility controversy? (2:49)The “College GameDay” crew discusses the potential ramifications of allowing former college players to return to college basketball. (2:49)
The “College GameDay” crew discusses the potential ramifications of allowing former college players to return to college basketball. (2:49)
Regarding the implementation, the NCAA said in a statement that the Division I board formally recommended Monday to “Maintain existing rules — allowing four seasons of competition in five years of eligibility — for student-athletes competing in the 2025-26 academic year; new rules are not expected to retroactively apply to student-athletes whose eligibility is or will be completed by the spring of 2026.”
Pete ThamelApr 27, 2026, 06:07 PM ETMultiple Authors