Ohio judge denies NCAA stay request on 5-in-5 temporary injunction, players remain eligible

An Ohio judge has denied the NCAA’s request for a stay on a temporary injunction in a case involving the eligibility of 15 athletes suing over the new age-based eligibility rules. The players will remain eligible for the 2026-27 season for now. Paul Fritschner of Rebound Rundown reported on the latest legal development on Friday afternoon. The NCAA sought a stay after the temporary injunction was handed down last week. [ $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage ] “The court’s decision today is wrong, and we will immediately seek all avenues for reversal, including a stay of the court’s order pending appeal,” the NCAA wrote in a statement released on July 9. “The court disregarded over a century of precedent and substituted its own judgment, on a limited factual record, for the collective expertise of the nation’s leading higher education institutions. “The court also based its decision on assertions by plaintiffs’ counsel about the NCAA and its Bylaws that bear no resemblance to reality. The effect of this ruling will be to take away valuable participation opportunities from student-athletes who are eligible to compete, in favor of those who have already received exactly the number of seasons of competition they expected.” The Ohio judge found otherwise, keeping the temporary injunction in place. The athletes suing, which most prominently include Xavier’s Filip Borovicanin and Cincinnati’s MJ Collins, would not have been eligible for the 2026-27 season under the NCAA’s new age-based, five-year eligibility model. They sought injunctive relief against the NCAA to obtain that eligibility. The preliminary injunction granted just that. The injunction also grants the 15 athletes filing the suit the ability to transfer now outside of the NCAA’s designated transfer portal window. The transfer portal window for men’s basketball opened on Tuesday, April 7 and closed on Tuesday, April 21. The other players listed in the lawsuit include Malik Messina-Moore, Kolby King, Javon Bennett, Chevalier Emery Jr., Jalen Quinn, Savannah White, Donovan Brown, Christian Henry, Ziare Wells, Cristian Carroll, Shawn Phillips Jr., Caden Powell and Josh Reed.