The sports world watched closely as LSU football, the SEC and the NCAA played a game of legal chicken back in September over whether coach Lane Kiffin would roster two players who had participated in NFL training camps. At the time, it was one of the biggest stories in sports, blowing open the question of who should be allowed to play the college game.
Under threat from its own conference, LSU ultimately decided not to roster those players, Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, and the sport more or less moved on to talking about the play on the field.
LSU isn't free from the eligibility drama, though. Its men's basketball program has been in the spotlight with its own uncertainty. Then Wednesday, 2025 Big East Player of the Year RJ Luis Jr. was once again granted a temporary injunction. His lawyer is also threatening further legal action against the Tigers and coach Will Wade if Luis isn't with the team when the season begins next week.
Luis is one in a long list of players who have been fighting since June for the right to a collegiate season. Most are members of the high school Class of 2022, who were excluded from the NCAA's new five-for-five rule. They've filed numerous state and federal lawsuits against the NCAA, outlining a variety of arguments for why they should play.
The results have been mixed.
Eligibility -- for those players, as well as international hopefuls and others who don't fit into either of those buckets -- has overshadowed the entire college basketball offseason. Coaches won't stop talking about it, preseason game lineups have been scrutinized and even state governments are jumping into the fray. In the background, the NCAA is attempting to persuade Congress to pass a law it hopes will help stabilize college sports.
ESPN's Myron Medcalf and Jeff Borzello have spent the past two months attempting to simplify this chaos. Here's what you need to know as the season is finally, almost, underway.
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Top 25 players in eligibility limbo
Oct. 29 updates
Who will be the face of the eligibility battle as the season begins?
RJ Luis Jr., Skyy Clark and Donovan Dent, LSU: The Tigers are the most controversial team in America right now. Clark and Dent, former UCLA standouts, are currently eligible to play via different state lawsuits. Luis is making a second legal push to play. He signed multiple NBA contracts, though did not play. Still, his inclusion would defy the SEC's rule barring any player who signed a professional contract from competing. -- Medcalf
Trey Kaufman-Renn, Kansas: There are other candidates -- including his teammates Tre White and Melvin Council Jr. -- but the former Purdue star's case is also different. The sixth-year player won a preliminary injunction in Indiana, and his legal battle might also challenge the integrity of the Big 12's rules on former pros (Kaufman-Renn was a second-round pick in the 2026 NBA draft). If he can stay eligible, however, he'll significantly change his team's odds of making a Final Four run. -- Medcalf
Darrion Williams and Donovan Atwell, Texas Tech: Both fifth-year prospects could turn the Red Raiders into a top-10 team. Without them, Texas Tech could get off to a rocky start, especially with All-American JT Toppin still recovering from last season's knee injury. -- Medcalf
Denzel Aberdeen, Florida: Aberdeen isn't as high-profile an individual player as some of the aforementioned names, but he's a likely starter for the preseason No. 1 team in the country if eligible. He was a key contributor for the Gators' national championship team in 2025 and is coming off a breakout season at Kentucky, averaging 13.5 points and 3.4 assists and shooting better than 36% from 3-point range -- all career highs. The Florida Court of Appeals on Wednesday denied the NCAA's motion to stay his preliminary injunction, so he'll be eligible to start the season. -- Borzello
Keyshawn Hall and Babacar Sane, St. John's: If Rick Pitino has a full allotment of players, the Red Storm should compete for a Big East title. They received positive news when international point guard Quinn Ellis was cleared to play, and they will also have Hall, Sane and Indiana transfer Reed Bailey eligible to open the campaign. Hall and Sane could find themselves in starting roles early in the season: The former is coming off a 2025-26 campaign in which he averaged 19.3 points and 7.1 rebounds at Auburn, while the latter brings high-level physical skills. -- Borzello
Mark Mitchell Jr., Missouri: Mitchell was one of the faces of the summer surge of five-for-five decisions, entering the transfer portal in August and subsequently committing to Kentucky. Days later, he withdrew his pledge and reenrolled at Missouri, where he had produced back-to-back All-SEC campaigns and averaged 18.3 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists last season. With an eligible Mitchell in his starting lineup, Dennis Gates could have one of the most talented teams in the SEC. -- Borzello
Other notables: Tamin Lipsey at Iowa State, Malik Reneau at Miami, Xaivian Lee at Gonzaga, RJ Godfrey at Arizona, Seth Trimble at Louisville, Robbie Avila at Saint Louis and Jaxon Kohler at BYU. -- Medcalf
How did programs handle playing those in eligibility limbo during exhibition games?
For the most part, players who have secured legal clearance via a temporary restraining order or the much stronger preliminary injunction have all participated in preseason showcases. During an exhibition between Kansas and Louisville, three in-limbo names -- Trimble, Council and White -- combined to score 57 points. Kaufman-Renn did not suit up, though Bill Self said he only kept the sixth-year player on the bench because he wasn't in shape yet.
It's important to note the successful legal petitions all contain similar language that prevents their schools from being penalized for playing them. -- Myron Medcalf
What are the biggest upcoming challenges for the NCAA regarding eligibility?
The sheer volume of cases and the willingness of attorneys across the country to fight the NCAA until the bitter end. With millions of dollars at stake, the players seeking another year aren't going to wave the white flag anytime soon -- especially since so many have already successfully defeated the governing body, temporarily, in court.
So it's fair to wonder how much longer the folks in Indianapolis can keep up the fight.
The NCAA has also spent a lot of time promoting the Protect College Sports Act, which it hopes will create more structure in the future. For now, the organization's push is to get a stay -- or a temporary stop -- on all of these cases. It is essentially going to court and saying, "Bench these players until we can sort through all of the legal issues."
Looking further ahead, the next challenge could be the consequences of a successful campaign. Even if the NCAA manages to stop every legal push, lawyers for some of those athletes have already stated that they might seek monetary damages. This is only going to get uglier. -- Myron Medcalf
The NCAA -- more specifically, the SEC -- was handed yet another sizable challenge to its growing caseload Wednesday. A day earlier, attorneys for Luis filed a petition in Louisiana state district court asking a judge to block the conference from punishing the program if Luis is added to the roster. Then, on Wednesday, Luis was granted a temporary injunction to play and practice with the Tigers -- with Luis' attorney telling ESPN's Myron Medcalf he will take coach Will Wade to court if he refuses.
Aside from the threats toward Wade, this is eerily reminiscent of the situation in August with Lane Kiffin and the Tigers' football program. Kiffin had recruited two of his former Ole Miss players back to college over the summer, but those players spent the offseason with NFL teams. Under SEC rules, players with major professional experience are not allowed to return to college. LSU ultimately opted not to add those two players to its roster despite a state judge granting them a preliminary injunction.
Will the school back Wade more than it did Kiffin when it comes to rostering a former pro? Luis left St. John's in 2025 and signed two NBA contracts but played in only preseason games. The battle over the two former Ole Miss players led to threats to vote LSU out of the SEC and a lawsuit by the SEC against LSU.
What will the battle over Luis' eligibility bring? -- Borzello
Oct. 2 updates
The Big Ten released a rule targeting eligibility in college basketball this week. Who does this affect immediately?
Borzello: There is no tangible impact on any Big Ten roster for the upcoming season. Though there are players in eligibility limbo due to various five-for-five lawsuits, none previously signed an NBA or G-League contract. Indiana's Sam Alexis, Michigan's Roddy Gayle Jr. and Kenny Noland, Minnesota's Cade Tyson, Oregon's Malique Ewin and Penn State's Josh Reed are all pursuing an additional year of eligibility, but none has been impacted by the Big Ten's new rule.
Received further clarification on what the Big Ten's new rule could potentially mean for guys who played in the NBA Summer League.
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) September 28, 2026
They're classifying an NBA contract as an "Exhibit 10, a Two-Way Contract, or any agreement providing compensation above expenses and a per diem." https://t.co/Pk69YXY9NL
Could other conferences follow suit?
Borzello: Nearly all of the major conferences had already taken steps to extend the NFL bans in August to men's and women's college basketball. The ACC, Big 12 and SEC previously announced its members were not permitted to have players who had signed a contract with a team in the NFL, NBA, G-League or WNBA, were listed on a roster in one of those leagues or had declared for the NFL, NBA or WNBA draft and didn't withdraw.
The Big East is the lone high-major conference not to decide on enacting a rule banning former pros from returning to college.
The federal suit in Colorado seems to be the biggest battleground. What's going on there?
Borzello: The Wisne federal class action lawsuit is undoubtedly the most important eligibility case on the docket, given its wide-ranging implications.
To recap: On July 31, U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney granted a preliminary injunction to all student-athletes who graduated high school in 2022 and finished their fourth season of college eligibility this past spring. A flood of commitments from prospective fifth-year seniors followed. On Aug. 21, however, the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the NCAA's request for a stay, pausing the injunction.
The appeals court has since scheduled a hearing for Oct. 13, when oral arguments are expected to be heard.
Medcalf: Per a source involved in the case on behalf of the athletes, the move to hear the oral arguments in October is viewed as a "positive" development, but not conclusive. There are still no guarantees that this case will be over before the season begins.
Though the Colorado case is separate from the state rulings in these cases, there remains the possibility that this case is once again the most important development in collegiate sports if players in the 2022 class are granted a federal waiver.
So, how many eligibility battles is the NCAA currently fighting?
Borzello: A lot. Hundreds of players are involved in eligibility battles against the NCAA, and they all fall into different buckets. The most prevalent are the aforementioned players who graduated high school in 2022 and are fighting the governing body in dozens of state and federal lawsuits across the country.
Incoming international prospects are also facing stricter regulations on eligibility regarding "actual and necessary" expenses, although we're beginning to see a few get through the clearinghouse (Arkansas' Miikka Muurinen was cleared last week).
Then, there are the remaining handful of former NBA draftees or G-League pros hoping to either return to college basketball, or play college basketball for the first time. RJ Luis (LSU), Babacar Sane (St. John's) and Dink Pate (Providence) all fall into that category, although the latter two have very different arguments than Luis, who declared for the 2025 NBA draft and then signed two NBA contracts.
There are standalone cases that don't fall neatly into any of the aforementioned buckets, either, such as that of former Purdue star Trey Kaufman-Renn's (more on that below).
We've also recently seen some players concede the fight against the NCAA and opt for other professional routes. Former Texas A&M signee Bryson Warren, who played in the G League, signed an Exhibit 10 with the Detroit Pistons last week before being waived, amid the expectation that he will join the Pistons' G League affiliate for the upcoming season. LSU commit Marcio Santos was in the process of trying to be cleared by the NCAA but decided Tuesday to sign a two-year contract in Spain and head back to the EuroLeague.
Speaking of LSU, what's the status of their roster?
Borzello: The Tigers' official men's basketball roster still has only four players listed: Kansas State transfer Abdi Bashir Jr., Kentucky transfer Mouhamed Dioubate, UTSA transfer Austin Nunez and Michigan State transfer Divine Ugochukwu. LSU also received a commitment in May from high schooler Jordan Bender, although he has yet to be announced.
Everyone else is in limbo. RJ Luis was granted a temporary injunction to play, but could still face an uphill battle to gain clearance, particularly given what happened the last time the Tigers tried to add former pros to a roster: a contentious fight with the SEC despite a state court order, followed by the college football program declining to add them after all. UCLA transfers Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark are eligible via a five-for-five injunction in California, although the NCAA is still fighting the order.
Then, there are international arrivals Saliou Niang, Michael Ruzic, Brice Dessert and Gilad Levy, who are still awaiting eligibility decisions. And, as mentioned earlier, Marcio Santos signed a pro contract in Spain instead of continuing to wait for clearance to play in Baton Rouge.
Trey Kaufman-Renn was mentioned earlier as a separate bucket. How is his eligibility situation different?
Borzello: Kaufman-Renn is the first player to pursue a sixth year of eligibility, with his argument centered on the fact that he redshirted his freshman season in 2021-22. Essentially, he said he would not have used his redshirt season under the NCAA's new five-for-five age-based eligibility model and, as a result, have played only four seasons instead of five. Drafted 59th by the Minnesota Timberwolves in June, Kaufman-Renn played five Summer League games, though he never signed a contract with the team.
Instead, he filed a motion in late August, seeking a temporary restraining order against the NCAA to return to college, and was granted the TRO in early September. He entered the transfer portal the next day, but has yet to announce his next move.
The Protect College Sports Act cleared another hurdle this week. How might it affect these eligibility questions?
Borzello: The PCSA passed in the Senate Monday night 77-22. It's a huge step toward sweeping college sports legislation, but still has a long way to go before becoming law. Ultimately, it has no impact on the current eligibility battles.
After passing through the Senate, it next moves to the House of Representatives -- though representatives went home Sept. 16, and aren't expected to return to Washington until after Election Day (Nov. 3), and won't begin the next legislative session until Nov. 9. If that schedule remains, the PCSA will have less than two months of a lame-duck session to get through the House, where opposition to the bill is expected.
Aug. 28 updates
What do the SEC's new rules mean for teams?
They could pit players -- and their schools -- against the league.
Per the new rules, approved unanimously by the schools, the following players are not eligible to compete in college basketball:
Any player who has signed a contract with an NBA team or a G League team
Any player who previously declared for the NBA draft without "appropriately" withdrawing -- players must withdraw from the draft by a May deadline to preserve their college eligibility
Any player who has been listed on an NBA or G League roster.
It is also important to understand the multiple contracts in the NBA that could affect eligibility. An Exhibit 10 contract is essentially a "training camp" deal that allows a player to compete with a team with limited hopes of making the final roster. A two-way contract is a deal that can be converted into a standard deal. Two-way players can spend time in the NBA and G League.
The SEC might have to more specifically define a professional contract. Does a player who gets a 10-day deal or a player who competes on a Summer League team also automatically lose eligibility?
The new rule could also be called "The RJ Luis Jr. Rule." Despite being cleared to play for LSU this season by a Louisiana judge, Luis -- the 2025 Big East Player of the Year -- signed multiple two-way contracts after going undrafted in 2025, though never appeared in a regular-season game.
Kentucky commit Mark Mitchell, who played at Missouri last season, never signed an Exhibit 10 after going undrafted in June, per a source -- meaning he should be eligible to play this year. But for whom? The SEC is scrutinizing Mitchell's choice to play for Kentucky, due to him transferring to another league school outside the official portal window, a move that is against the rules. The lawyer in the Kentucky court case that initially cleared Mitchell amended the complaint Friday to challenge the SEC.
In general, the SEC is drawing a line in the sand on any players who've been professional athletes, even if the courts say otherwise. The standoff will likely lead to additional courtroom battles.
So, what's the deal with LSU?
Good question. There are currently four players officially listed on the roster on the team website. Will Wade's ability to put together a team for 2026-27 depends on the outcome of the current battle royale between players and their schools, the conferences and the NCAA.
The first, and most important fight, will involve Luis, who had won an injunction at the beginning of the week but is now in violation of nearly every tenet of the new SEC rules. The former St. John's star's attorney, Tony Clayton, told a Louisiana radio station Thursday that he has already filed an amended complaint to include the SEC and Sankey.
Former UCLA standouts Skyy Clark and Donovan Dent were cleared in a California court case to join LSU, though the NCAA has vowed to fight the state decisions. Dent is the best-available fifth-year point guard, and many teams tried to sign him. Clark would also be a solid backcourt addition in Baton Rouge.
It's not just the American players on the Tigers' roster, however, who are under scrutiny. Saliou Niang (the 58th pick in the 2025 NBA draft) and Brice Dessert (undrafted in 2025) seem to be ineligible under the new SEC rules, even though both players stayed in Europe and did not ultimately sign with NBA teams.
What about international players?
International players have faced more scrutiny in recent years, with multiple teams signing players with professional experience in Europe. The NCAA has cleared those players in the past -- it even cleared James Nnaji, who had professional experience in Europe and was selected in the 2023 NBA draft, then signed with Baylor last season.
The Big 12 created language that should clear its international talent, though the SEC's rules seemingly put some of those players in its league in a difficult spot -- specifically those who entered the NBA draft after playing overseas. International players are automatically entered in the draft when they turn 22 years old, unless they request early entry. It's a different process from what American players, or players coming from NCAA basketball, experience.
As a result, the college careers of the international players with professional and contractual ties to the NBA in the SEC could be in jeopardy.
Aug. 22 updates
How did we get here?
Eligibility isn't a new issue in college sports, with players taking the NCAA to court for years in an effort to play more seasons, including this past campaign with Charles Bediako.
In order to create some structure, the governing body announced in June a five-year eligibility window that would go into effect for every sport's upcoming season. A player would have a five-year window from enrollment -- beginning no later than the semester after their 19th birthday -- within which to play college sports. It is a continuous clock, which would eliminate the redshirts and most of the waivers that have been granted to players in the past.
Many lawsuits are a result of the NCAA's decision to exclude high school graduates in the 2022 class from eligibility for a fifth year under the rule.
There's also the issue of whether players granted another season could switch schools outside of their sport's respective transfer window (April for college basketball). Some lawsuits address this; others don't.
Who is impacted most by the decision to grant the NCAA's request for a stay?
The stay pauses the blanket waiver granted to the entire high school class of 2022, regardless of whether players are involved in a state lawsuit.
At the top of the list of players affected is Denzel Aberdeen, who helped lead Florida to the 2025 national title before transferring to Kentucky for his fourth season of college basketball. Coach Todd Golden has said the Gators would back Aberdeen in a state lawsuit for a fifth year.
Former North Carolina guard Seth Trimble recently announced his commitment to Louisville under the waiver. He played in the NBA summer league with the Washington Wizards, though he never signed a professional contract. Pat Kelsey's team is top-10 good and already features additions such as Flory Bidunga, but Trimble could give the Cardinals the edge in the race to the Final Four, provided he regains eligibility.
Donovan Atwell is looking to return to Texas Tech for his fifth season after averaging 13.5 PPG and 46% from 3 this past campaign. Former Columbia guard Kenny Noland (committed to Michigan) and former Quinnipiac forward Amarri Monroe (committed to Syracuse) are also among the top names impacted.
As it currently stands, these players cannot join a college basketball roster.
So, who is currently eligible to play?
Anyone who has been cleared -- at least temporarily -- by one of the numerous state lawsuits that have been filed.
Former Missouri star Mark Mitchell (18.3 PPG, 39% from 3) has entered the transfer portal after a judge in Kentucky granted him a temporary injunction.
Jaxon Kohler, an All-Big Ten honorable mention selection at Michigan State, committed to BYU this week after a judge in California cleared him and others, including former UCLA stars Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark, former NC State guard Tre Holloman and former Florida guard Xaivian Lee.
AJ Storr, who averaged 15.5 PPG at Ole Miss last season, is currently eligible to play at UNLV as a result of a separate state case in Tennessee.
Darrion Williams, who spent two seasons at Texas Tech -- including leading the Red Raiders to the Elite Eight in 2025 -- before playing at NC State last season, has his eligibility due to a Texas lawsuit.
A wild card is Miami's Malik Reneau, who averaged nearly 19 points per game last season and could return to the team pending the outcome of a state case filed in South Carolina.
What's next in the legal battle over eligibility?
So far, the NCAA has prevailed in two small respects: the stay in the Colorado ruling appeal and a similar decision earlier in the week in one of the first major state lawsuits regarding "five in five," in Ohio. Both cases are moving through their respective appeals processes, so expect more decisions to come.
"I think the NCAA is trapped," said one prominent NIL attorney about the flurry of lawsuits the group is currently fighting at the state and federal levels.
Another question is who can be granted a waiver. Earlier this week, a ruling in Louisiana opened the door for multiple athletes -- including players currently in NFL training camps -- to enter the portal and play next season. Attorney Ryan Downton, who has spearheaded a number of state lawsuits, including the one in Louisiana, said more are on the way.
"It's somewhat remarkable that I think it's close to a dozen courts that have looked at this now at the trial court level," he told ESPN. "And I think I'm only aware of one that's sided with the NCAA."
Former SMU women's basketball player Kyla Deck, who was initially granted eligibility due to the blanket waiver in the Wisne ruling, has filed a federal antitrust lawsuit challenging the restrictions of the portal. Lawsuits about roster cap numbers and other eligibility-related issues might follow.
Whether the NCAA wins its appeal in the Colorado federal case or not, a flurry of state cases will persist.