If you have been following college sports in recent years then you know that wins come on the field of play and in the courtroom.

With recent challenges from athletes and schools regarding player eligibility at the forefront of the offseason, the NCAA passed a new eligibility standard for athletes Tuesday. 

What does this mean?  

Athletes now have five years of eligibility to be completed within five years of their high school graduation or 19th birthday, whichever comes first. 

“With these changes, the (NCAA Division I) Cabinet has taken decisive action for the benefit of student-athletes and the system of NCAA Division I athletics,” Illinois athletic director and chair of the Cabinet Josh Whitman said. “For many student-athletes who enroll in college immediately after high school, these changes will result in the opportunity to potentially compete for an additional season in their chosen sport.” 

Gone are the medical redshirts allowing athletes to compete for seven, eight or even nine years of eligibility like Montana linebacker Solomon Tuliaupupu. 

Also gone are outliers like former Oklahoma State quarterback Brandon Weeden — who entered college in 2007 at age 23 — he would have had just one year of eligibility under the new rules. 

Heisman winner Chris Weinke wouldn’t have even been able to play for Florida State as he was 25 at the time he started with the Seminoles. He won the award at age 28, leading Florida State to the national championship game against Oklahoma. The Sooners won 13-2. 

These changes are set to go into effect Wednesday and athletes entering school in fall 2027 will be forced into the new standard. Athletes who enter this fall or in 2025 can be grandfathered into the old rules if it is beneficial for them. At least for now. 

Like most NCAA decisions in the past few years, this will most likely be met with several legal challenges. 

Just in recent months we have seen NCAA rulings on eligibility challenged with lawsuits, including that of Brendan Sorsby — the former Texas Tech transfer who was banned for gambling activities and was granted an injunction to be able to play in 2026, then recently withdrew his lawsuit hoping to enter the NFL after backlash caused multiple schools to cancel scheduled games against Texas Tech. 

Diego Pavia and Trinidad Chambliss are another pair of high-profile names that have challenged the NCAA to receive another year of eligibility over medical redshirts and junior college play. 

In all, 22 lawsuits regarding eligibility are active right now against the NCAA, per the website collegesportslitigationtracker.com, with many others closed in recent years. 

So the question becomes will this new eligibility standard clear the legal hurdles? 

If it does then players like Weeden and Weinke are a thing of the past. 

Reporter Jon Allen can be reached at 406-758-4426 or [email protected]. If you value local journalism, pledge your support at dailyinterlake.com/support.