What does everyone think of the proposed new eligibility rule? The intent is for a vote on the proposal this summer, with implementation beginning in Fall 2026.

Student-athletes would get five years of competition eligibility within a five-year window that begins the academic year after they graduate high school or turn 19 years old, whichever happens first. Division I student-athletes would no longer be limited to only four seasons of competition within their five-year eligibility window.

• Athletes with remaining eligibility beyond the 2025–26 academic year are granted flexibility, allowing them to choose either the new age-based model or the previous rules, depending on which is more beneficial.

• High school prospects from the spring 2026 graduating class and later will adhere exclusively to the new age-based model.

• The traditional redshirt year, medical hardship waivers, and other discretionary extensions to eligibility are effectively eliminated. Any season played during the five-year window counts toward the limit.

• Waivers are no longer available to extend competition, except for narrow cases involving pregnancy, official religious missions, or active-duty military service.

• The changes do not retroactively strip eligibility from athletes who completed their fourth year by spring 2026.

Some questions people might respond to:

A good or bad move in general?
Will there be legal challenges? If so, on what grounds?
How might it affect the influx of international players with previous experience in foreign professional leagues?
Unexpected consequences?
Good or bad for UCD?