Louisville linebacker Kalib Perry is back in the clear, and that means he can suit up Saturday against No. 16 SMU.
A Jefferson County judge on Monday, Sept. 14, granted Perry’s motion to join a lawsuit in Wisne v. NCAA, giving him the benefit of a temporary restraining order tied to the NCAA’s stay request. The ruling opens the door for Perry to play after he had been ruled ineligible under the NCAA’s new 5-for-5 framework.
Perry’s status had been in limbo after the NCAA’s stay request said players who entered college in 2022 could not receive a fifth year of eligibility. He had missed Louisville’s first two games, even though he is listed on the Cardinals’ 2026 roster.
He and teammate Jabari Mack both announced plans to return to Louisville under the new rule on Aug. 15.
Both were active late in fall camp before the NCAA’s stay request landed Aug. 21.
Mack was already covered by the initial temporary restraining order, while Perry was left waiting.
“Pretty much every day, we just call over compliance,” Louisville head football coach Jeff Brohm said Aug. 21.
“They tell us what we can do and not do, and we roll with it. … If your guys are here, you'd like them to be able to practice and play.
So we're hopeful that can happen.”
Perry had previously been granted a motion to join the local lawsuit and apply the TRO to his eligibility on Sept. 3, but the NCAA filed an emergency appeal that was denied, then followed with a regular appeal. In its response to Perry’s motion, the NCAA said his inclusion “raises complex legal and factual issues that are not part of the primary dispute before the Court.” The NCAA pointed to the fact that Perry entered the NFL draft, went undrafted, and took part in minicamps with the San Francisco 49ers and Tennessee Titans.
The ACC also issued a statement on Aug. 27 saying players who “previously declared for an NFL, NBA or WNBA Draft, and did not appropriately withdraw consistent with NCAA requirements to retain eligibility” were barred.
For now, though, the judge’s ruling means Perry is eligible again - and Louisville has another linebacker available.
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