NCAA Challenges Ohio Order on Fifth-Year Eligibility Rule

Lansing, MI, October 16, 2026 —

The NCAA has filed a lawsuit in federal court in Ohio challenging an executive order that allows schools in the state to disregard a new association rule on athlete eligibility.

The dispute concerns a rule addressing a fifth year of eligibility for certain athletes. Under the executive order, Ohio schools may disregard that NCAA rule, according to the information provided about the filing. The NCAA brought its challenge against the state’s governor.

The available information does not identify the governor, provide the date the lawsuit was filed or specify which federal court in Ohio is handling the case. It also does not give the text or date of the executive order, describe the NCAA rule’s detailed requirements, or identify the athletes affected.

The precise legal arguments in the suit and the outcome the NCAA is seeking were not provided. No response from the governor or the state was included in the available information. Details about whether the court has acted on the case, or what happens next, were also not provided.

At the center of the case is the difference between the NCAA’s eligibility rule and the state order permitting Ohio schools to disregard it. The filing puts that conflict before a federal court, but the information available does not establish how the court will address the dispute or whether the order or rule has changed since the suit was filed.

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

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