Cause and Effect: How The New NCAA Eligibility Rules Relate to Notre Dame Football
- Noah Wehby
- Jun 25
- 3 min read
In a way to combat the chaotic nature of college athletics, the NCAA has reformed its eligibility rules, granting all student-athletes five years to play five seasons.
One major point of contention regarding the changes to college athletics has been the increasing number of older players being allowed to compete in their respective sports. This started in the wake of COVID, where players were granted a COVID year on top of their normal redshirt and medical redshirt year. While it did make sense at the time, it began to blur the lines regarding the rules of eligibility, causing many athletes to challenge the NCAA on the retention of their college eligibility. The situation only got worse when NIL blew up into what it is today, incentivizing athletes to stay in college for as long as they can while claiming the NCAA rules were hindering their ability to make money. All of this caused college athletics to be riddled with 24-26-year-olds, with some even coming back to college after playing professionally. While many of these older players were beneficial to their programs, many argued that it was beginning to spoil the nature of college sports.
Now, the NCAA seems to have regained some control over the eligibility conversation, stating that all student-athletes have five years to play five seasons, taking out the redshirt year. The five-year clock starts when the athlete enrolls in school or after the first academic year following their 19th birthday. While the NCAA will no longer consider waivers for players trying to extend their eligibility under the new rule, there are still exemptions for maternity leave, religious missions, and active-duty military service.
For athletes still in college, the NCAA has granted them and the schools some freedom to decide how the rule will be used. Athletes who still have eligibility following the 2025-26 academic year will be given the option to decide, with the help of their school, whether to follow the old rule or the new one. For those who have recently run out of eligibility following the 2025-26 year, the NCAA has stated that they are officially ineligible. The 2027 class of athletes will be the first group to which this rule applies in its entirety. For them, they have exactly five years to play up to five seasons of their sport.
Looking at Notre Dame football, this new ruling does give them a lot more roster flexibility, as it has granted 19 players an additional year of eligibility. This not only gives Marcus Freeman a chance to retain talented and experienced players, but it also gives players some level of reassurance that they have an extra year in the event of an injury.
Here are the 19 players affected:
Drayk Bowen
Jordan Faison
Elijah Hughes
Luke Talich
Christian Gray
Aneyas Williams
Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa
Anthonie Knapp
Bryce Young
Leonard Moore
Francis Brewu
Loghan Thomas
Spencer Porath
Jayden Sanders
Madden Faraimo
Quincy Porter
Mark Zackery IV
Erik Schmidt
Dallas Golden
For players who are not directly affected by the ruling, the change might still be felt. With the redshirt year gone (if Notre Dame decides to use the new model), Freeman might feel more inclined to use many of his very talented players from the 2026 recruiting class. With their clock already potentially starting, players like Joey O'Brien and Rodney Dunham might see the field sooner than expected.
This rule has been a long time coming for the NCAA. It was a change that seemed necessary to make, considering the current state of college athletics, and most importantly, it is simple to understand.
Want the latest intel on Notre Dame football? Subscribe to Tribune+ and get access to recruiting and team intel from The Irish Tribune team, as well as access to our intel community, exclusive app, and more Notre Dame content: Subscribe here to support our independent journalism.
Follow The Irish Tribune on social media:
Liked this story? Subscribe to our mailing list and get every story in your inbox.
Check out our Irish partners:
TMPR Sports - Use code "IrishTribune20" to get $20 off your officially-licensed Notre Dame pickleball paddle here!
Comments