Oklahoma State forward Parsa Fallah has become part of a new legal fight over the NCAA’s “five-for-five” eligibility rule, joining a California lawsuit that could affect as many as 45 student-athletes.
Fallah had already been pursuing a waiver to return in 2026-27 after a late-season knee injury, and now his case is tied to the broader challenge of the NCAA’s new age-based legislation, according to On3.com. The suit was filed by attorneys Darren Heitner and Ryan Downton. Heitner is also representing OSU guard Kashie Natt in a separate injunction that has, for now, made Natt eligible to play next season.
The NCAA approved the new rule last month, setting a five-year window to play five seasons beginning with incoming freshmen in 2026-27. For athletes who still have eligibility left, the NCAA says it will apply both the current and former rules and use whichever option gives the student-athlete the most favorable outcome.
That change left a gap for seniors in 2025-26 who have played four years without a redshirt, and that’s where the lawsuits have started piling up. Across the country, student-athletes in that group are pushing for the right to play in 2026-27, while the NCAA is defending the rule in court.
Fallah and Natt stand out because both have played more than four years. Natt spent one year at a junior college before four years at four-year schools. The NCAA says he already used the “Pavia waiver” that was granted to most juco athletes a couple of years ago, but Heitner and Natt argue his eligibility clock should start when he enrolled at a four-year school, leaving him one more season.
An Oklahoma district court judge has already agreed to the injunction in Natt’s case, at least for now. More legal action is still pending.
Fallah’s situation has been on Oklahoma State’s radar for a while. In June, head coach Steve Lutz said the program had set aside a scholarship for Fallah while he worked through his waiver request for another season.
The Iran native has spent five years in college: three at Southern Utah, including a redshirt, then one at Oregon State and one at Oklahoma State. Lutz said the waiver Fallah was seeking was tied to his delayed arrival in the United States.
The lawsuit is aimed at student-athletes from the Class of 2022 who played four years without a redshirt and were not grandfathered into the new rule. Southern Utah’s website lists Fallah on its 2021-22 roster, though he did not play that season, which was his redshirt year. Oklahoma State’s website says he played at Southern Utah from 2022-24 and in parts of three seasons, with a redshirt in the first year.
With student-athletes already finding early success in similar cases, Fallah’s decision to join this suit could help open the door to another season, assuming he fully recovers from the ACL tear that ended his last season in February.
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