Kansas State’s basketball roster got a meaningful boost from the NCAA’s new eligibility model, even if not every Wildcat is affected the same way.
Last week, the NCAA approved an age-based system that gives student-athletes a single five-year eligibility window tied to age and college enrollment. The shift wipes out redshirts, including medical hardships, along with the eligibility extension waivers that have become increasingly common in college sports. Athletes whose eligibility runs out after the 2025-26 academic year are not getting an automatic extra year, a change that is likely to trigger plenty of legal appeals from players chasing one more season.
For current athletes, the transition depends on each player’s status and enrollment timeline. If a student-athlete did not exhaust eligibility or seasons of competition in 2025-26, they’ll get whichever result is better under the old rules or the new age-based system. Schools will have to sort through each case and apply the rule that helps the player most.
For K-State basketball, the biggest name in that group is Brandon Rechsteiner. The 6-foot-1 guard was one of first-year coach Casey Alexander’s key transfer additions, coming off a season at Colorado State in 2025-26 where he averaged 12 points per game while shooting 45% from the floor and 40% from 3 on 215 attempts. On3 ranked him No. 204 in the transfer portal and the 33rd-best point guard in the portal this past offseason.
Rechsteiner, who spent his first two college seasons at Virginia Tech, now has two years of eligibility left under the new rule. That matters for Alexander, who has made clear this offseason how much he values familiarity and roster continuity. A return for the 2027-28 season would be a major plus for the Wildcats.
He’s the only player on K-State’s 2026-27 roster whose eligibility was set to expire after the upcoming season and now gets an added year because of the change. Other seniors, including guard Jaden Schutt and wing Dez Lindsay, are entering their fifth year of college basketball and won’t receive another season.
Still, the rule does help several other Wildcats. Montana Wheeler, who averaged 8.5 points and 2.8 assists as a true freshman at Bradley in 2025-26, now has four years of eligibility left instead of three.
Isaiah Abraham, a 6-foot-7 wing, also gains ground and now has three years remaining instead of two. Abraham signed with UConn out of high school before transferring to Georgetown, where he started 31 games last season.
Center Pape N'Diaye, who transferred to K-State from Xavier this offseason, is in the same boat and now has three years left instead of two.
Not everyone on the roster benefits. Center JT Rock already redshirted at Iowa State and doesn’t get anything from the change.
Forward Matt Gilhool also redshirted last season at LSU and still has four years remaining. Murray State transfer Brock Vice has used a redshirt as well and has two years left.
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For Kansas State fans, the old familiar sting comes from more than just Stirtzs ascent. The article also points to former Wildcats Nate Johnson and Onyenso finding their own NBA entry points, with Johnson now in Oklahoma City and Onyenso headed to Detroit, a reminder that K-State talent is still reaching the league even as another name from the area becomes impossible to ignore. What lingers is how a moment from Stirtzs college career against the Wildcats still fits so neatly into the larger story of what might have been. [Read more 🡒]