NC State has already started adjusting to college football’s new eligibility reality, and the roster on GoPack.com now reflects the NCAA’s 5-in-5 rule.
The change comes after the NCAA approved a new age-based eligibility model in June, one that does away with redshirts and gives athletes the chance to play five full seasons in college as long as they meet the new standard. On Tuesday, the Division I Cabinet unanimously backed a broader overhaul that allows Division I student-athletes up to five years of eligibility if they enroll in college no later than the academic year after their 19th birthday.
That new system wipes out a big chunk of the old rule book. Season-of-competition limits, sport-specific eligibility rules, redshirt rules and eligibility extension waivers are all gone under the updated structure.
In football, the impact is especially noticeable. Coaches no longer have to worry about whether a true freshman appears in three games or 12 to preserve a redshirt.
Under the new setup, that no longer matters. Freshmen can play three games, 12 games or more and still have four more years available.
Will Wilson is a clean example of how the new rule helps players. He was too valuable as a specialist and battering ram to sit out as a true freshman, and under the old system he would have had three years of eligibility left. Now, he gets that experience and still has four years remaining.
For NC State, the roster update means the age-old labels on the depth chart need a little mental recalibration. Players listed as seniors now have one year of eligibility left beyond 2026, juniors have two, and so on.
That also means CJ Bailey could technically play college football in both 2027 and 2028 if he wanted to. But if a player with legitimate NFL hopes is still in college that far down the line, something likely went wrong. In practical terms, this is still his last year in college.
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