This past June, the NCAA adopted a new age-based eligibility model, commonly referred to as the “five-for-five” rule, that significantly changed how eligibility is calculated for college athletes. Under the new model, athletes generally have a continuous five-year eligibility window and can compete in all five seasons. Traditional redshirts are eliminated, but so are most of the waivers that previously allowed athletes to extend their eligibility beyond that window.
Players can play for five full seasons, should they choose.
This created an interesting dynamic for those who were a part of the 2022 recruiting class and never utilized a redshirt. Had this rule been implemented just months earlier, they would still be eligible to play one more season. So Cade Tyson and several other athletes from the 2022 class sued the NCAA, arguing that they should also be allowed to compete for a fifth season under the new eligibility model.
They initially won. In late July, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction allowing Tyson and other similarly situated athletes to pursue a fifth season. The NCAA appealed, and in late August the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals temporarily stayed that injunction.
So for now, Tyson remains ineligible while the appeal continues but he has rejoined the program as this is fought through the legal system.
“We’re excited to have Cade rejoin our program,” head coach Niko Medved said. “We’re here to support him in any way we can through this process and are looking forward to having Cade around the facility and program.”
This would be fantastic news for Gopher hoops; adding back the team’s leading scorer would be a huge boost to a roster that already has an influx of talent.
