Vanderbilt center Jalen Washington, a former North Carolina transfer, is the lead plaintiff in a new lawsuit challenging the NCAA’s revised eligibility rules. The suit, filed in Tennessee, targets the association’s recently approved age-based model that caps Division I athletes at five years of eligibility if they enroll before turning 20.
The specific issue: players from the high school Class of 2022, like Washington, say the transition rules for the new policy shortchanged them. Under the NCAA’s plan, the five-year window fully kicks in for the fall 2027 incoming class. But athletes already in the pipeline argue they deserve a shot at an extra season before that change closes the door.
Washington’s case asks a court to grant relief before the 2026-27 college basketball season starts. That’s a tight timeline. Programs are still piecing together rosters, and a ruling in the players’ favor could unleash a late wave of veteran additions. Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger broke the news, adding that some schools have apparently held roster spots open just in case.
Dellenger also flagged a supportive letter from Duquesne’s athletic director attached to the filing. That detail suggests at least some athletic departments want the NCAA to settle this before they’re forced to make final cuts without knowing who’s eligible.
The lawsuit includes 12 plaintiffs total. None of them are household names beyond Washington, but the group represents a broader frustration among players who feel the new age policy was written without considering the guys already in the system. The NCAA approved the model to align with its broader push toward deregulation and athlete compensation, but the messy rollout is creating legal exposure.
For now, the case sits in Tennessee’s court system. If a judge grants an injunction, eligible players could return to campus mid-summer and shift the competitive balance of several rosters. If not, Washington and the others will have to accept that their college careers are over.
Either way, the lawsuit is another reminder that the NCAA’s rulebook keeps getting challenged in court. And with each new filing, the association’s authority over eligibility gets a little more tangled.
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