The prevalence of lawsuits against the NCAA has forced the association to review its eligibility rules. And now, Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey is calling for stronger, more defined eligibility rules that will reduce the number of waivers and exceptions from the association.

“We need to have a defined period of eligibility,” Sankey said via Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger. “This six, seven, eight, and nine-year stuff shouldn’t be happening, whether it’s waiver-driven by the NCAA – which I think started this – or people running to courts.”

Sankey’s point was simple. The NCAA cannot keep treating eligibility like a moving target, especially when it is already weighing a five-in-five model meant to make the rule easier to follow.

With the rise of more eligibility disputes in college football, the NCAA met earlier this month and discussed a new age-based eligibility idea. The idea suggests a five-year window of eligibility for athletes after their high school graduation or their 19th birthday. In most cases, that would put a player’s college window at about five years after high school, rather than letting cases drag far beyond the normal track.

However, the association is yet to confirm this concept, with the hope of looking more deeply into it before arriving at a conclusion. But Sankey wants it quicker, expressing his disapproval of situations where athletes stay for as long as seven to eight years in college.

The major flaw of the current system of eligibility is its inconsistency. About 60 lawsuits have been filed against the NCAA in recent months, and 12 cases have favored the players, with 48 cases favoring the NCAA. The problem usually stems from other players taking advantage of the waivers and filing suits as well.

Chad Morris, Virginia Cavaliers QB and son of Clemson Tigers OC Chandler Morris, had his request for a seventh year of eligibility rejected. This is after playing for six seasons in four different programs, arguing his rights for a medical redshirt in 2022 due to mental health struggles.

It was different for Oklahoma Sooners linebacker Owen Heinecke after he filed an injunction against the NCAA to get his eligibility approved after his appeal was rejected. After receiving support from his program. He eventually won the case in court.

Similarly, USC Trojans backup quarterback Sam Huard was recently given an additional year of eligibility in his sixth season, while Tennessee Volunteers 2025 starting quarterback Joey Aguilar was denied his request for another year of eligibility.

That pressure now extends beyond the NCAA. President Donald Trump’s April executive order called for clearer age-based eligibility limits before Aug. 1, adding urgency to the debate. As a result, the NCAA president sent an email to member schools and included a question and answer to make immediate moves and reach a decision that will favor the parties involved.

“The rapid evolution of the college sports landscape has created significant new pressures that require immediate, decisive solutions,” Baker wrote. “NCAA membership is not waiting for others to act.”

The prevailing discourse in college football is the possible expansion of the College Football Playoff, and Sankey also has an opinion on it.

College football is close to adopting a new five-in-five eligibility rule

While August 1 remains the deadline given by the president, early signs point towards the adoption of the five-in-five eligibility format. Baker has been going about getting reviews, and there has been a popular endorsement of the concept.

“I have had a lot of people offer me thoughts about implementation, but I haven’t had anybody say to me that this is a bad idea,” Baker says.

“Almost everybody I’ve talked to has said it’s simpler, and it’s easier to understand if it returns college athletics to the same window that college is supposed to be attached to. It makes it harder for somebody to show up at the age of 19 or 20, or 21, and claim to be a freshman after playing three years of professional sports somewhere else. There’s a lot of things people like about this.”

The advantages here are not just for the NCAA, which would have to deal with fewer lawsuits with this proposed system. Athletes in Division I would also be huge beneficiaries, as the new system would lift the restriction of playing for four seasons.