Tennessee basketball coach Rick Barnes said he doesn't understand why college sports eligibility cases have to be determined on case-by-case basis.
Jalen Washington is currently ineligible after the NCAA won a stay of the temporary injunction that allowed the former Vanderbilt center to transfer to UT. Barnes is hopeful Washington will successfully win an extra year of eligibility through the courts, but he would have preferred a universal ruling on who is eligible or not.
"When you look around the country and see that there's ... 150-some players that are eligible to play and another 200-some who can't based on where they have filled their court cases, doesn't seem fair," Barnes said on Oct. 6. "So I guess, association with NCAA, I just don't
understand."
While his lawsuit in Tennessee remains pending, Barnes said Washington is exploring whether or not he is covered by a temporary injunction in his home state of Indiana that allowed two players to rejoin Indiana's football team midseason.
"They've cleared their players to play there," Barnes said. "I don't know how it works from a legal standpoint, (if he could) refile there," Barnes said. "Could be a possibility.”
Preseason practices are already underway and the start of the 2026-27 season begins Nov. 2, so Washington is hoping to searching for a way to determine his eligibility quickly.
Why Jalen Washington is ineligible for Tennessee basketball
Washington is suing the NCAA to challenge the five-in-five model, which allows athletes to play up to five seasons over a five-year period beginning at their 19th birthday or college enrollment, whichever comes first. Athletes like Washington from the Class of 2022, who played four seasons without using a redshirt, are currently not covered by that rule.
A federal court in Tennessee ruled on July 31 that Washington and 16 other college basketball players, who are currently suing the NCAA over new eligibility rules, would suffer "immediate and irreparable harm" if they were not allowed a fifth year of eligibility.
But on Aug. 26, the Tennessee Court of Appeals granted the NCAA a stay of the temporary injunction which made Washington eligible. He can still play for the Vols this season if he wins his lawsuit.
Stephen Thompson covers Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball. Email him at stephen.thompson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @stephenethom.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Rick Barnes provides update on Jalen Washington eligibility for Tennessee basketball
