College football’s power brokers are tightening the locks. Senator Eric Schmitt, for instance, has proposed a “blueprint” to Congress to shut down extended-eligibility appeals. While it’s yet to be implemented, Purdue Boilermakers offensive lineman Bakyne Coly is taking the NCAA to court. This comes after the Joey Aguilar ruling.

“New eligibility rule lawsuit: Purdue offensive lineman Bakyne Coly has filed a federal antitrust suit against the NCAA,” reported ex-lawyer Sam C. Ehrlich. “He seeks injunctive relief to not count his two years at NAIA Lawrence Tech towards his five-year clock.”

The core of the issue is the NCAA’s five-year clock. Once a player enrolls full-time, they have five years to play four seasons, and that clock doesn’t stop. It remains the same even for a missed year. In the case of Coly, he previously played two years at NAIA Lawrence Tech. 

So, he is seeking injunctive relief to prevent the NCAA from counting his two years at Lawrence Tech against his five-year clock. The reason? That’s because NCAA Division I is the top tier of college athletics, while the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) is a separate body with smaller schools. Simply put, Coly contends that the NCAA is clipping his wings, keeping him from maximizing his Division I playing time. 

“1. This case challenges the NCAA’s enforcement of Bylaws 12.6, 12.02.3, and 14.3.3, which reduce the number of years non-Division I football players can play Division I NCAA football after transferring to an NCAA Division I school and unjustifiably restrain the ability of these college athletes to develop and play for higher profile NCAA Division I football schools,” a part of the lawsuit read. 

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A former high school basketball player from Farmington, Michigan, Coly took a leap of faith in 2021, enrolling at Lawrence Tech. Despite having no football experience, he joined the football team. The gamble paid off quickly, as he earned a starting spot for the Blue Devils.

It was in the 2023 season that he transferred to Purdue. After a redshirt-style learning year, he saw the field in 11 games in 2024, carving out a role as a jumbo tight end and special-teamer. With his eligibility clock seemingly expired under current NCAA rules, Coly appears to be following a path forged by other athletes, such as quarterback Joey Aguilar, who also recently challenged the system. 

Aguilar’s camp made a simple argument: his time playing JUCO football shouldn’t count against his NCAA eligibility window. After four years bouncing through City College of San Francisco (2019-20) and Diablo Valley College (2021-22), he finally landed at Appalachian State in 2023. 

Unfortunately, the courtroom ruling didn’t go his way. A Knoxville judge denied his preliminary injunction request in the NCAA eligibility case. Meanwhile, the rise in eligibility lawsuits is concerning.

Joey Aguilar filed a lawsuit against the NCAA

Players pushing for fifth- and sixth-year eligibility increase the burden on college football. Now, if we think about it, if more and more players try to push their eligibility, it creates a bottleneck situation with no place for new talent to come in. In that case, Ross Dellenger’s report exposes the bitter reality.

“A 57th eligibility lawsuit in the last 14 months filed against the NCAA,” wrote Yahoo Sports’ reporter. 

While Aguilar is the latest example of how Coly must not expect much from the lawsuit against the NCAA, Dellenger stirred the pot a little more. According to his findings, out of the 57 players, only about 12 have won preliminary injunctions. Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is one of them. 

Chambliss was fighting for a medical waiver for missing a season at Ferris State after struggling with tonsillitis and chronic fatigue. Finally, things fell in his favor as Judge Robert Whitwell granted him eligibility. It was possible only because the NCAA failed to provide a proper medical objection. Now, which way will Bakyne Coly’s lawsuit against the NCAA go?