Court puts extra year of college eligibility on hold, creating uncertainty for NBA hopefuls

College athletes who thought they had been handed another year of eligibility have just received a fairly significant legal reminder:

Not so fast.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit on Friday granted the NCAA’s request to stay a preliminary injunction that had provided a fifth season of eligibility to athletes from the high school Class of 2022.

In late July, U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Denver issued the injunction as part of the Wisne v. NCAA class-action lawsuit. It opened the door for athletes who exhausted four seasons of eligibility this spring to return for another year.

Friday’s ruling closes that door again. At least temporarily. And that’s where things get messy.

The original ruling affected 27 undrafted basketball players who had reached tentative Exhibit 10 agreements with NBA teams this summer. Some began reconsidering those deals once another college season became possible.

NCAA on Wisne ruling: "The Association will separately continue to defend other similar putative class action lawsuits and the state court cases that have been filed by former student-athletes seeking additional eligibility and expeditiously appeal any cases where former… pic.twitter.com/rpZN7fQvq4

— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 21, 2026

Among them was Seth Trimble, who played for the Wizards in Summer League and had agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal before deciding to transfer from North Carolina to Louisville for another college season.

Donovan Atwell similarly played for the Bulls in Summer League and had an Exhibit 10 agreement before Texas Tech announced he would return to school.

James Madden of Zagsblog reports Trimble and Atwell are among 16 basketball players directly affected by Friday’s decision.

So what happens to them now? That’s an excellent question.

The appeal itself remains alive, and athletes covered by separate state-court rulings aren’t affected by Friday’s order. Meanwhile, The Athletic’s Justin Williams reports a final decision from the 10th Circuit isn’t expected before the college football season begins next weekend.

The NCAA called Friday’s ruling encouraging and said it will continue fighting similar lawsuits and appealing decisions that grant athletes additional eligibility.

In other words, the eligibility clock hasn’t merely been restarted. It’s in court now, too.