NCAA Shifts to a Five-Year, Age-Based Eligibility Model Affecting Senior Quarterbacks

The NCAA has approved a new eligibility framework that allows players entering their fourth collegiate season without a redshirt to elect a fifth year of competition beginning in 2027. The reform eliminates the previous “four-game redshirt” and eligibility waiver system, and it does not extend eligibility for athletes who finish their final season in 2025. The change directly impacts a list of current FBS starting quarterbacks, including Utah’s Devon Dampier, Kansas State’s Avery Johnson, Iowa State’s Jaylen Raynor, Nebraska’s Anthony Colandrea, Northwestern’s Aidan Chiles, UNLV’s Jackson Arnold and Delaware’s Nick Minicucci.

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Quarterbacks view the added year as a safety net while they weigh NFL-draft prospects. Dampier, who hopes to enter the draft, said the option “is a nice safety belt…to know I do have another year now.” Johnson, a 26-game starter, emphasized staying focused on the current season, noting he will “see how this year goes and go from there.” Raynor, a graduate-track candidate, indicated he could pursue a master’s degree if he returns, but he is not rushing the decision.

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Coaches welcomed the reform for its clarity and player-health implications. Utah’s first-year head coach Morgan Scalley described the extra year as “a good problem to have…to have two really good quarterbacks.” Kansas State’s first-year coach Collin Klein highlighted that the model removes “crazy situations” where programs must balance playing time against eligibility, saying it is “a great thing for players and…for programs.” Klein also noted that the change spares staff from difficult redshirt conversations, such as those experienced with former quarterback Will Howard.

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Critics of the prior system argued that ad-hoc redshirts and waivers led to legal disputes and uneven treatment. The new rule is praised for “eliminating all the suing, all the people getting their sixth and seventh years,” creating a “fair all around” landscape for athletes and programs alike.

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• “I would say that's my dream and aspirations, but I guess it's a nice safety belt for me to know I do have another year now.” — Devon Dampier, Utah quarterback

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• “That's what I had been focused on since January, so I don't want to put too much in my brain right now. We'll see how this year goes and go from there.” — Avery Johnson, Kansas State quarterback

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• “It just kind of eliminates all the suing, all the people getting their sixth and seventh years. I think it makes it fair all around.” — Unnamed source quoted in article

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• “It's a good problem to have, I'll tell you that, to have two really good quarterbacks,” — Morgan Scalley, Utah head coach

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• “I think it's a great thing for players and I think it's a good thing for programs,” — Collin Klein, Kansas State head coach

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