This week, we saw all of the Power 4 conferences enact policies barring football and basketball players who signed professional contracts from returning to college athletics.
Friday afternoon, the NCAA released a statement affirming its commitment to fight all attempts to gain eligibility through the court system.
These events are certainly impactful for football and basketball, but from a college tennis perspective, not much has changed since the Aug. 21 action from the Tenth Circuit Colorado Court of Appeals. There, the court temporarily reversed the federal district court injunction from weeks prior which allowed high school class of 2022 seniors to return for a fifth year.
Hope is not lost for athletes still holding out for another shot. The case is still ongoing as the court of appeals prepares for briefs followed by oral arguments. If the appellate court rules in favor of the plaintiffs in Wisne v. NCAA, high school class of 2022 athletes would be eligible, and may even be entitled to damages, per reporting from The Athletic’s Senior College Sports Writer Ralph D. Russo.
Something to keep in mind. We’re very focused on whether these fifth-years (with various circumstances attached to them) will be able to PLAY this year.
There is a scenario where they don’t get the opportunity to play, but their cases play out and down the road they win damages.— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoATH) August 28, 2026
If the court rules in favor of Wisne and co, we could see a flood of athletes returning to compete for a fifth year. It’s safe to assume that coaches and athletics administrators are preparing for that possibility, clearing the pathway for ease of insertion into the spring lineups.
With the current 10 player roster limit having taken effect in 2025, and scholarships coming at a premium, schools will need a lot of flexibility or foresight to bring back their graduated senior talent.
Another consideration is that the Wisne v NCAA class-wide injunction did not open the transfer portal, and athletes must have already entered the transfer portal or are confined to their old team.
Apart from Wisne, there have been a number of cases involving football and basketball athletes in the state courts. According to a statement made by the NCAA from Friday evening, nearly 60 cases have been filed against the NCAA. Few cases involve college tennis players, likely because there is not as much to gain in the way of NIL compared to football or basketball. But they still could have major impacts.
The NCAA sent the following statement to its members today. pic.twitter.com/4BR12mazxX— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 28, 2026
Grounds
There have been three main arguments by the plaintiffs looking for another year of eligibility. The most abundant argument in the current proceedings is that the class of 2022 seniors were unfairly denied a fifth year of eligibility, compared to their successors which will play under the new “5-in-5” standard, arguing that their contracts violate the Sherman anti-trust act and are an anticompetitive restraint of the labor market.
Other cases focus on the blanket waiver for JUCO athletes in 2025 after Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia was granted a fifth-year in Pavia v. NCAA. One player who is not currently involved in legal proceedings but would benefit from another JUCO blanket waiver is Wake Forest graduate DK Suresh, who spent his freshman season at Georgia Gwinnett.
The other main argument for a fifth year waiver pertains to medical redshirt adjudication. One such case does in fact involve a college tennis player: Augustine Tettamble of Tulsa. In Tettamble v. NCAA, the plaintiff argues that he deserves a fifth year after his medical redshirt was unfairly denied. Tettamble suffered from tendinitis his freshman year and after competing in four matches, sat the rest of the season to seek a medical redshirt.
Tettamble’s preliminary hearing is set for Sept. 11, a day into fall competition, where he seeks a temporary restraining order or an injunction.
It is hard to say which way the courts will swing, and whether or not we will see a flock of former seniors return to college tennis for one last ride. At least with college tennis compared to other sports currently competing, this saga will likely be near its conclusion by the time the spring season rolls around.
All we can hope for is some clarity.
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