The NCAA’s new five-year eligibility rule has opened a complicated door for Washington, and the Huskies are already dealing with the ripple effects.
This offseason, college sports’ governing body moved away from its long-standing four-year model and shifted to five years of eligibility for student-athletes. The change applies first to players who enrolled in the 2023-24 academic year, and it wipes out redshirts and medical waivers while also counting junior college time.
The point of the change was to clean up a system that had become messy. Between medical waivers, legal injunctions, redshirt seasons, NIL and a transfer portal that is far less restrictive than it used to be, eligibility decisions had turned into a case-by-case maze.
Even with the new rule in place, the situation is still far from settled. A class-wide injunction was recently filed against the NCAA that would allow Class of 2022 athletes - those not grandfathered into the new setup - to chase a fifth year. Former Washington women’s basketball player Hannah Stines is among the athletes who joined that lawsuit.
Washington head coach Jedd Fisch was asked about the issue at his introductory news conference before fall camp on Tuesday, but he didn’t get into specifics about any talks with players who might be able to come back. He said he wasn’t sure what he could say under the new rule, and added that the program is "focused on 2026."
For now, the most likely outcome is that the Huskies won’t get a returning player from last year’s team who had already exhausted eligibility. Still, the rule could create a path for several veterans on this year’s roster to be back next season.
There’s still uncertainty because of the lawsuit, academic classification, previous redshirts and waivers. One player who could be in the mix is fourth-year edge rusher Jacob Lane.
"Obviously the possibility is there, but the mindset hasn't changed this year, whether it's my last year or if I have two years (left) going into it," Lane said after practice at Husky Stadium on Friday. "Gonna attack it the same way regardless. ...
We've known for the past couple years there's been talks about it, so kind of anticipated it coming. But, I was never relying on that option."
To make things clearer under the new system, Washington is listing players on its public roster by years played instead of class designations. If every fourth-year player ends up with a fifth season available, that group would include Lane, linebacker Xe'ree Alexander, offensive lineman Aidan Anderson, defensive lineman Darin Conley, offensive lineman Parker Cross, defensive lineman Elinneus Davis, offensive lineman Kolt Dieterich, punter Luke Dunne, tight end Kade Eldridge, offensive lineman Soane Faasolo, edge rusher Logan George, center Landen Hatchett, offensive lineman Elisha Jackett, cornerback Emmanuel Karnley, running back Jayden Limar, safety Alex McLaughlin, edge rusher Hayden Moore, kicker Tyler Robles, linebacker Beck Walker, defensive lineman DeSean Watts and wide receiver Rashid Williams.
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