Michigan basketball is one step closer to adding transfer guard Kenny Noland.
Indiana-based Monroe Circuit Court Judge Kara E. Krothe granted a preliminary injunction
on Wednesday, Sept. 23. − a temporary court order issued early in a lawsuit that stops a party (in this case, the NCAA) from doing a specific action (in this case, preventing him from playing), until the final trial − in the state's lawsuit against the NCAA.
Noland was one of nearly 100 players in the Monroe County lawsuit seeking an additional year of NCAA eligibility, based on the NCAA's recent five-in-five ruling, which grants five years of eligibility for all players starting with their enrollment out of high school or age 19 (whichever comes first).
This injunction will be upheld
until the case goes to trial. A date was not immediately set.
Noland, who spent the past four years at Columbia, averaged a team-best 17.1 points per game in 2025-26 (second best in the Ivy League) to go with 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. The Wolverines were in need of a backup point guard after the departure of L.J. Cason (who transferred to Miami), and this signing fits the need.
This would be an even more important addition than originally believed, given U-M lost five-star freshman Brandon McCoy Jr. to a torn ACL last month during the team's final exhibition game during its 10-day trip to Europe.
This is not the only court case the Wolverines are waiting on this week. National champion Rody Gayle. Jr was granted a temporary restraining order to practice with the team earlier this month and is set for a hearing on Thursday, Sept. 24, which will resolve whether he also receives a preliminary injunction or not.
Gayle traveled with U-M to Europe last month and has been practicing with the team for more than a month; he is currently enrolled as a graduate student at the Ann Arbor-based university.
Neither Noland nor Gayle were listed on the team's roster when the program announced it earlier this month, however there's a chance both could play for Mike Boynton Jr. in 2026-27. U-M begins its exhibition season on Sunday, Oct. 11 against Eastern Michigan at Crisler Center.
Today was pretty interesting when it comes to eligibility lawsuits against the NCAA.
— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace) September 14, 2026
Indiana players Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt had their hearing in Monroe County Circuit Court on Monday.
The big news was that there were 89 other athletes that joined this particular… pic.twitter.com/uExSskpLie
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball's Kenny Noland ruled eligible to play in 2026-27 − at least for now
