Baylor forward Caden Powell now has a clearer path to another season in Waco after an Ohio injunction gave him and a group of other NCAA athletes an additional year of eligibility.
According to On3, Powell was among 15 players granted the injunction in Ohio as part of a legal challenge to the NCAA’s age-based eligibility model. The list also included Xavier’s Filip Borovicanin, Cincinnati’s MJ Collins, Malik Messina-Moore, Kolby King, Javon Bennett, Chevalier Emery Jr., Jalen Quinn, Savannah White, Donovan Brown, Christian Henry, Ziare Wells, Cristian Carroll, Shawn Phillips Jr. and Josh Reed.
For Baylor, the key detail is that the ruling opens the door for Powell to return for the 2026-27 season.
Powell’s case is tied to the NCAA’s new system, which begins an athlete’s eligibility clock at initial full-time college enrollment or at the start of the academic year after their 19th birthday, whichever comes first. On3 reported that recruits beginning in 2027 will be subject to the age-based model only.
The transition created a mess for athletes already in the system. On3 reported that current players who still have eligibility after the 2025-26 season will be able to choose between the age-based model and the old rules, taking whichever is more favorable. The lawsuit centered on how that shift affected 2022 high school graduates who had already played four seasons.
“NCAA athletes have a reasonable expectation that they will be treated fairly by the NCAA and that NCAA rules will be applied consistently, regardless of the athlete’s background before they attend an NCAA school and regardless of the year in which they graduated from high school,” the lawsuit states, according to On3.
The challenge also highlighted the uneven playing field created by COVID-era eligibility relief.
“For the last four years, 2022 high school graduates have been competing against older, stronger, and more experienced players allowed five (and even six) seasons of competition due to a Covid-era waiver granted to all athletes graduating high school and enrolling in college between 2017 and 2020,” the lawsuit states, according to On3.
Powell’s route to this point has already taken him through Wyoming, Rice and Baylor. He played at Wyoming in 2022-23 and 2023-24, then at Rice in 2024-25 before landing at Baylor in 2025-26. Last season, he became a valuable frontcourt presence for the Bears after stepping into a bigger role when Juslin Bodo Bodo was sidelined by a forearm injury, finishing with averages of 6.9 points and 6.3 rebounds.
The injunction does not lock in Powell’s roster status, but it does remove the eligibility issue that had been hanging over a possible return.
The ruling reaches beyond Baylor, too. Cincinnati’s MJ Collins was also included, and On3 reported that Collins played at Utah State last season for new Cincinnati head coach Jerrod Calhoun and is expected to suit up for the Bearcats in 2026-27 after the decision.
For now, the practical effect is simple: the players named in the injunction have another year available to them, and schools are left sorting through roster spots, scholarship limits and revenue-sharing plans for 2026-27.
For Baylor, Powell is back in the conversation - and this time, it’s because the law says he can be.
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