Last Tuesday, the Division I Cabinet adopted changes to the pre-enrollment eligibility rules.[1] These rules are effective immediately for prospects enrolling in college during the 2026-2027 year.[2]
Now, prospects will be required to withdraw from opt-in professional league drafts.[3] Prospects will be permitted to enter the draft once without it impacting their collegiate eligibility.[4] However, this new change does not impact sports where prospects can be drafted without opting into the professional league drafts.[5]
In addition, this new change also allows prospects to accept prize money without it impacting their eligibility.[6] The adjustment of the prize money rules is partly from the recent class action settlement in Brantmeier v. NCAA.[7] It is also from the Cabinet’s focus on benefitting student-athletes.[8] No change will be made to the rules regarding prize money after collegiate enrollment.[9]
Lastly, prospects can now sign with professional sports agents before their college enrollment.[10] This includes agents for NIL representation.[11] The Cabinet also directed the staff to look into options that will address concerns related to agent behavior.[12] This will be considered at a future meeting.[13]
A concept was also proposed that could adjust the period of eligibility rules in Division I.[14] Currently, the idea considers eliminating “seasons of competition” and instead implementing an “age-based model.”[15] This model would allow student-athletes to be eligible for a Division I competition for five years.[16] The timeframe would start either the academic year after a prospective student-athlete’s high school graduation or their nineteenth birthday.[17] Some exceptions would also be considered under this new model.[18] There is no answer for this yet, but the idea may be discussed more with other stakeholders for feedback.[19]
[1] Meghan Durham Wright, DI Cabinet adopts changes to eligibility rules for prospects, NCAA Media Center (Apr. 15, 2026) https://www.ncaa.org/news/2026/4/15/media-center-di-cabinet-adopts-changes-to-eligibility-rules-for-prospects.aspx.
[2] Id.
[3] Id.
[4] Id.
[5] Id.
[6] Id.
[7] Id.
[8] Id.
[9] Id.
[10] Id.
[11] Id.
[12] Id.
[13] Id.
[14] Id.
[15] Id.
[16] Id.
[17] Id.
[18] Id.
[19] Id.
Featured Image: Ross Dellenger, The Fight Over the Future of College Sports Is Here: ‘It Needs to Implode’, Sports Illustrated (Jan. 20, 2022) https://www.si.com/college/2022/01/20/ncaa-future-power-5-football-basketball-money.
Ann Marie E. Marseglia is a third-year law student at the University at Buffalo School of Law. She is pursuing a concentration in sports law and has an interest in Title IX matters. Ann Marie is a Student Attorney for the Sports Law Clinic, focusing on issues among girls and women in sports. She is also a Submissions Editor for the Buffalo Environmental Law Journal, Vice President for the Italian-American Law Students Association, and a Member of the Phi Alpha Delta Alden Chapter.
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