Ohio Order Allows State Universities to Grant Fifth Year of Athletic Eligibility

Lansing, MI, October 13, 2026 —

Ohio’s governor has signed an executive order allowing state colleges and universities to grant a fifth year of eligibility to athletes who graduated from high school in 2022. The measure is described as a response to a recent NCAA rule change.

The order gives Ohio’s public colleges and universities permission to award the additional year to eligible athletes in the specified graduating class. The summary does not say that every athlete who graduated in 2022 will receive another year, or provide further conditions institutions may apply.

Details about the NCAA rule change, including what it changed and when it took effect, were not provided. The summary also does not identify the governor, state the date the order was signed, or give the order a name or number. It does not specify which sports or institutions may be affected.

The measure is framed as a state response to the NCAA change, but no explanation was provided of how the executive order interacts with NCAA eligibility rules or whether the NCAA has responded. The information available does not describe how colleges will make decisions about individual athletes or whether any athlete has already been granted a fifth year.

Further details about implementation and eligibility criteria were not included in the summary. As described, the order permits state colleges and universities to grant the additional year to athletes who graduated from high school in 2022; it does not establish that all such athletes will receive it. The specific scope and practical effects of the order therefore remain unclear from the information provided.

Story summarized from the original created by EDDIE PELLS and ALANIS THAMES, Associated Press on www.wlns.com, see more information here.

Media gallery