Syracuse football player Justus Ross-Simmons and projected men’s basketball player Amarri Monroe are back in ineligible territory for the 2026-27 season.
For now, at least.
A Friday ruling from the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit stayed the temporary injunction that had briefly opened the door for both athletes to return for a fifth season of college sports at Syracuse. That means the NCAA can once again enforce its eligibility rules while the class-action case moves toward a final ruling.
Ross-Simmons and Monroe had each believed their college careers were finished after 2025-26. Earlier this month, though, Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado granted a temporary injunction in a class-action lawsuit that blocked the NCAA from applying its eligibility rules to athletes in the Class of 2022 who were seeking a fifth season next year.
That relief did not last.
With the Tenth Circuit’s stay now in place, most athletes from the Class of 2022 who have already used four seasons are once again considered out of eligibility by the NCAA. The class-action case is still alive, and Sweeney will ultimately issue a final decision.
Not everyone is affected the same way, though. Some athletes around the country have filed separate lawsuits outside the class-action case and persuaded state judges to stop the NCAA from enforcing its rules against them. Those players will not be immediately affected by Friday’s ruling.
That split reality - different athletes, same situation, different courts, different outcomes - is already creating plenty of frustration across college sports.
Lawyers in the class-action case could still try to appeal the Tenth Circuit’s decision, but that path would take time. In the meantime, it remains unclear whether Ross-Simmons or Monroe will pursue an independent lawsuit to try to regain eligibility more quickly.
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