Overview
- The Division I Cabinet voted unanimously Tuesday to approve the age-based “five-in-five” model that gives athletes five seasons of competition inside a five-year window tied to enrollment or the academic year after their 19th birthday.
- The rule largely ends traditional redshirts and most medical or hardship waivers, allowing only narrow exceptions for active-duty military service, official religious missions, and maternity leave.
- Institutions must submit any waiver requests under the old rules by July 31, and the policy will not restore eligibility to athletes who completed a fourth season by spring 2026.
- College hockey and the NHL pushed the Cabinet to change the start of the clock to enrollment or age 19, a tweak that preserves four years for many older freshmen while removing the sport’s delayed-enrollment carve-out.
- The NCAA framed the change as a response to pandemic waivers, NIL-era incentives, and mounting lawsuits, and attorneys have announced plans for legal challenges that could shape or delay enforcement.