JJ Starling is making a push for one more college season.
The former Syracuse guard has added his name to a California lawsuit seeking a fifth year of eligibility for players in the 2022 high school graduating class, according to reports from On3.com and CBSSports. The injunction already included close to 25 players who had completed their fourth year of eligibility this past season, and nearly 25 more names were added.
Starling spent the last three seasons as a starter for Syracuse after opening his college career with one year at Notre Dame. The 6-foot-4 guard from Baldwinsville, N.Y., averaged 10.9 points per game for the Orange this past season.
The California case is part of a wider wave of litigation across the country involving student-athletes in the Class of 2022 who were not granted a fifth year under the NCAA’s new 5-in-5 rule. That rule gives athletes five years to play five seasons, while removing the old path of seeking extra eligibility through medical redshirts and similar exceptions.
Although the rule was adopted earlier this summer, it does not apply to athletes who graduated from high school in 2022.
A judge in a similar Colorado case recently granted a temporary injunction, which at least for now allows athletes from the 2022 class to pursue a fifth year.
That ruling has already affected Syracuse’s roster plans. Armarri Monroe, a 6-7 forward who most recently played at Quinnipiac, announced last week that he was transferring to Syracuse because of the Colorado case.
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J.J. Starling Just Reopened An Unexpected Syracuse Question
J.J. Starlings name has surfaced in another college basketball eligibility fight, one that could ripple through Syracuses offseason even if the answer never changes the Oranges plans. The former Syracuse guard has been added to a California injunction tied to the 2022 recruiting class, a legal development that could open the door for some athletes to chase a fifth season of college eligibility after already playing four years.
The injunction was issued by a U.S. District Court judge in Colorado, but the NCAA has appealed, leaving the situation unsettled for now. Even if Starling were ultimately deemed eligible, Syracuse would have a hard time making room for a return because the roster is already at the NCAA limit, which turns this from a simple eligibility question into one more layer of offseason uncertainty. [Read more 🡒]