Your final season
isn't theirs to take.
The NCAA is rewriting how eligibility works. Redshirts are disappearing, roster caps are tightening, and a fifth year that used to be automatic now has to be won. We win it.
Waiver deadlines run through your school's compliance office, not the courts. Weeks matter, not months.
The five-in-five model changes who gets to keep playing.
Under the NCAA's proposed age-based model, most Division I athletes get up to five years of eligibility starting the year they turn 19 or graduate high school, whichever comes first. That sounds simple. In practice, it eliminates most redshirts and waivers, and it doesn't apply the same way to every athlete depending on when your clock started. If your eligibility ends by spring 2026, none of this happens automatically. You have to make the case.
Three ways to get a season back
Which path applies depends on when your clock started and why you lost time. We tell you which one fits before we file anything.
Five-in-five eligibility
If your eligibility clock starts in 2026–27 or later, you fall under the new age-based model. We confirm your start date, flag any transfer complications, and get written clarification from your compliance office before you make a move you can't undo.
Extension of eligibility
Missed two seasons to injury, illness, or a circumstance outside your control? A sixth or seventh year of competition is still on the table under existing bylaws. We build the record your compliance office submits through the NCAA's request system, and we write it to be approved, not appealed.
Medical hardship & unused relief
Season-ending injury in the first half of the year? A medical hardship waiver can still preserve a season under current rules. Unused COVID-era relief hasn't disappeared either. We check what you're actually entitled to before anyone tells you it's too late.
The five-year window, year by year
Your clock starts at initial full-time enrollment, or at 19, under the proposed model. Every year after that counts against you whether you compete or not.
Mark Amador spent his career trying cases as a San Diego County prosecutor before joining Wingert Grebing. He built his reputation reading procedure for the gap that wins the case. That's exactly what an NCAA eligibility file is: a procedural fight, decided on the strength of your record. — California Sports Law, San Diego
Straight answers, no runaround
Does every athlete automatically get a fifth year?
No. The five-in-five model mainly applies to athletes whose eligibility clock starts after the new rules take effect. If your eligibility ends by spring 2026, you're under the current rules unless you qualify for a waiver.
Can I still redshirt?
Formally, redshirting as a way to bank an extra season is going away under the new model. A coach can still choose to sit you for development, but it won't extend your window past five years.
Does transferring reset my clock?
No. Time already used follows you to the new school. Talk to your compliance office and an attorney before you enter the portal, not after.
How early should I get a lawyer involved?
As soon as you suspect a problem: an injury, an academic disruption, a transfer that complicates your timeline. Waiver documentation takes time to build correctly, and a rushed filing is a common reason for denial.
Find out which path gets you back on the field.
One conversation tells you whether you have a case, what it takes to win it, and how fast you need to move. No cost to find out.
Get Your Free Eligibility Review