College Sports
Kentucky Appeals Judge Keeps 30 Athletes Eligible While NCAA Case Continues
Friday’s emergency-relief decision preserves temporary eligibility while a three-judge panel considers the NCAA’s appeal.
A Kentucky Court of Appeals judge denied the NCAA’s request for emergency relief Friday, keeping 30 college athletes eligible while a three-judge panel considers the governing body’s challenge. The decision preserves temporary protection rather than settling the case.
Judge Sara Walter Combs left in place an October 16 injunction. Athletes covered include Missouri basketball player Mark Mitchell and LSU’s Skyy Clark, according to the Associated Press.
Combs concluded the NCAA had not demonstrated the immediate, severe injury needed for emergency relief. Her decision also cited the disruption caused by repeatedly changing players’ eligibility while litigation continues.
The dispute concerns the transition to the NCAA’s age-based eligibility system. In its June 23 explanation, the association outlined a model allowing up to five years for athletes enrolling no later than the academic year after their 19th birthday.
The NCAA said the system would apply fully to first-time college entrants beginning in fall 2027. Current athletes with eligibility remaining after 2025–26 could use either the previous rules or the new framework, whichever benefited them.
Its implementation table gave no additional eligibility to athletes who had used their final competition season during 2025–26. That distinction separates the transition policy from the broader promise of a five-year window.
Mitchell’s significance to Missouri extends beyond a roster spot. The university lists him as a fifth-year player after he led the Tigers in scoring, rebounds and assists last season. He averaged 18.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists and started all 33 games. He earned second-team All-SEC recognition and became Missouri’s second player ever to lead all three categories, following Albert White in 1998–99.
Football players covered by the Kentucky litigation include Alex Afari Jr., Thomas Castellanos, Jabari Mack and Kalib Perry. They can continue competing while the appeal proceeds; Friday’s order does not award permanent eligibility.
