Overview
- U.S. District Judge William L. Campbell rejected a preliminary injunction in Patterson v. NCAA, keeping five players who competed four straight seasons sidelined for 2026.
- The ruling said the plaintiffs had not shown likely antitrust success or a workable, less restrictive alternative to the four-seasons-in-five-years framework.
- Campbell cited new roster ceilings and revenue-sharing constraints from the House settlement in finding that extra eligibility would shift roster spots and payments rather than expand them.
- The five players are Vanderbilt’s Langston Patterson; Wisconsin’s Nathanial Vakos, Lance Mason and Nick Levy; and Nebraska’s Kevin Gallic.
- The case proceeds without interim relief as policy pressure builds, with FBS coaches backing an increase to nine redshirt games, and the NCAA praising the decision.