As colleges across the country prepare for the 2026-27 school year and its athletics, the NCAA faces a major issue: increased uncertainty about its eligibility rules.
On July 31, Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court of Colorado ordered the NCAA to declare eligible all high school Class of 2022 athletes who finished their fourth season in college athletics this spring, opening the door for hundreds of undrafted athletes to return to college athletics.
The NCAA struck back and said it would appeal the decision on Aug.1.
Now, as teams and athletes await the NCAA’s eligibility rules for the upcoming athletic season, many programs are forced to question what players they may be able to roster in 2026. For example, Florida is looking to transfer guard Denzel Aberdeen to get his waiver for a fifth year approved.
With Aberdeen, who is expected to be the Gators’ starting shooting guard, UF is the early favorite for the No. 1 spot in the Associated Press’ preseason poll. Without Aberdeen, head coach Todd Golden would have to rely on another piece to fill the starting role.
The decision could affect whether former Gators Micah Handlogten and Xaivian Lee could return to college hoops.
NCAA eligibility issues
The NCAA’s eligibility uncertainties started June 2, when Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced the Protect College Sports Act of 2026.
The legislation would allow college athletes one undergraduate transfer without losing athletic eligibility and sets a five-year eligibility window for athletes once they graduate high school or turn 19, whichever comes first.
Although the Commerce, Science and Transportation committee met June 18 to discuss the bill, the legislation has yet to be passed by Congress.
The NCAA Division I Cabinet unanimously approved the five-for-five legislation June 23.
This age-based legislation model grants student-athletes a continuous five-year window to compete across five seasons. But the model wasn’t set to take effect until fall 2027, leaving many college athletes entering their fifth year this fall out of the equation and sparking uproar among players and coaches.
Numerous players received injunctions this week against the NCAA, granting them a fifth year and allowing them to play in the 2026-27 campaign.
As players obtained approval from the NCAA to return to college for a fifth year, Judge Sweeney’s Wisne v. NCAA ruling on July 31 granted all Division I athletes who were seniors last season a fifth year of eligibility, including Aberdeen.
“All persons in the United States who began to play in collegiate sports in the 2022-2023 season, competed in NCAA Division I sports, and completed four years of eligibility as defined by the NCAA’s prior rules by the conclusion of the 2025-2026 season, and are therefore barred from playing a fifth season due to the NCAA’s adoption and immediate implementation of the Five-Year Eligibility Rule,” the class certification of the Colorado case read.
Hours before the Colorado decision, a Tennessee court granted 19 basketball players a fifth year of eligibility.
Seeing the turmoil over Judge Sweeney’s decision and other rulings that granted injunctions to 2026 seniors, the NCAA was quick to respond.
“It is long past time leaders across college sports call for the immediate passage of the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act — a bill supported by student-athlete leaders, Democrats, Republicans and NCAA schools from all three divisions,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a July 31 statement. “Today's rulings and the chaos they bring to college sports are exactly why it's time to pass this bill.”
The NCAA released a statement Aug. 1 saying it will appeal the Colorado order. Each school can make its own independent decision, it wrote, but the association intends for the injunction to be short-lived as it appeals the decision on an expedited basis.
“The District Court of Colorado’s decision (Wisne v. NCAA) is egregiously wrong,” the statement read. “The court's decision to certify a nationwide class and grant sweeping injunctive relief with virtually no evidence, and without witness testimony or even so much as a hearing, invites further chaos in college sports and irreparably harms thousands of student-athletes already on campus.”
NCAA Chief Legal Officer Scott Bearby released a statement Aug. 11, which said the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ordered expedited briefing on the NCAA’s request for a stay pending appeal. Bearby said the NCAA's Division I Cabinet considered having the five-for-five apply to the class of 2026 seniors but decided “it would not be in the best interest of all current and future college athletes.”
“We stand behind and will continue to fully defend the membership's decision,” Bearby wrote. “The injunction should never have been granted, and we have asked the Tenth Circuit to permanently reverse.”
Dozens of athletes seeking a fifth year have already sued the NCAA over its eligibility rules, including Florida State men’s basketball’s Alex Steen, who did so Aug. 17.
However, the NCAA received a major courtroom victory the same day when the Ohio Court of Appeals agreed to pause enforcement on the Borovicanin v. NCAA suit, which allowed 15 college athletes a fifth year of eligibility while the lawsuit moves forward.
“We appreciate the court's recognition of the harm caused by the injunction and the substantial arguments we have presented in favor of reversal, and we look forward to fully arguing the merits of the case in the future," the NCAA wrote in an Aug. 17 statement.
Despite ongoing pressure from courts across the country granting 2026 seniors eligibility for a fifth year, the college athletic governing body has continued to affirm its stance since the legislation was approved June 23.
Aberdeen’s situation
As things stand, Aberdeen’s waiver for a fifth year is set to be approved, and many other high school Class of 2022 members have benefited from the Colorado ruling.
Aberdeen, who transferred to Kentucky following the 2024-25 national championship run, announced on April 10 that he will return to the Gators for the 2026-27 season.
The Orlando native requested a waiver for a fifth year after playing just 41 minutes as a freshman. Aberdeen announced his plans to finish his undergraduate degree in education sciences at Florida via an Instagram post.
“It’s just a common-sense situation,” Florida head coach Todd Golden said April 22. “This isn't a 27-year-old trying to play his eighth year in college at his sixth different school; this is a 22-year-old within his fifth year clock coming back to get his degree. It would be a really weird stance to try to fight him from playing.”
Now that Aberdeen’s return has legal backing, the shooting guard is set to suit up for the Gators unless the NCAA successfully appeals Judge Sweeney’s decision.
Aberdeen was quick to share his reaction to the Colorado ruling on social media, posting a photo of himself in a Gators jersey during a previous game on his Instagram story.
Other players and coaching staff joined the celebrations. Thomas Haugh shared a photo of Aberdeen on his Instagram story, and UF associate head coach Carlin Hartman posted the guard’s Florida player profile photo on his X account.
Former Gators affected
The Colorado decision doesn’t just open the door for Aberdeen to play at UF. Former Gators Lee and Handlogten could also return to college basketball after finishing their senior seasons and going undrafted.
Following the conclusion of the 2025-26 season, Lee agreed to sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers, whom he represented at the 2026 NBA Summer League, averaging 6.4 points, 2.4 assists and two rebounds per game across his five appearances. He shot 40% from the field and 21% from beyond the arc.
Lee spent his senior year at Florida after playing his first three years at Princeton. During his 2025-26 campaign, Lee was the starting shooting guard and averaged 11.6 points and a team-high 4.2 assists per game.
Lee recorded a season-high 24 points on 6-of-10 shooting against George Washington on Dec. 13 in Sunrise, Florida, earning him the Orange Bowl Classic MVP. On Feb. 16, he was named SEC Player of the Week following an 18-point outing against Georgia and a 22-point performance against then-No. 25 Kentucky.
With Judge Sweeney’s ruling, Lee would receive an extra year of eligibility. As a result, he announced plans to enter the transfer portal Aug. 18.
Handlogten, who signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Utah Jazz June 26, can now return to college basketball and explore the transfer portal, which he entered April 6. On Aug. 10, Handlogten identified his three potential landing spots: NC State, Ole Miss and Southern California.
Last season, Handlogten averaged 4.1 points and 5.9 rebounds per game off Florida’s bench. He started the campaign with back-to-back double-doubles against Arizona and North Florida. He also recorded two starts last season, the second of which came on Florida’s Senior Day against Mississippi State.
The Lake Norman, North Carolina, native’s most productive season with Florida came during the 2023-24 campaign, when he averaged 5.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game across 33 games, 32 of which he started. During that season, he grabbed 108 offensive rebounds – the second-highest for a single season in program history at the time.
However, his season was cut short in the SEC Tournament Championship against Auburn when he fractured his lower left leg.
Because of the intense recovery required for the injury, Handlogten planned to redshirt his junior season. But on Feb. 14, 2025, he decided to return to the court, forgoing his redshirt. The move eventually proved fruitful. Handlogten averaged 4.2 rebounds and provided valuable minutes off the bench during the Gators’ championship run.
After a college career filled with ups and downs, Handlogten, just like many college athletes seeking a fifth year, will now have the opportunity to further prove himself before returning to the pros.
Just as the Colorado ruling reshaped eligibility for the 2026–27 season overnight, a successful NCAA appeal could spark chaos, leaving Aberdeen’s future uncertain and robbing Lee and Handlogten of a fifth collegiate season.
Contact Jeffrey Serber at Jserber@alligator.org. Follow him on X @JeffreySerber.
Jeffrey is a summer 2026 sports enterprise reporter and a third-year journalism sports & media major with a media, management and production minor. In his free time, he enjoys hanging out with friends and family, and rooting for the Miami sports teams
