It seems as though the NCAA will approve new five-year eligibility guidelines this summer and they have made an adjustment to the clock start on those five years.
This change will stem the wave of mid-20s international professionals from coming to play college sports for
multiple seasons while still leaving the door open for younger athletes to take a post-graduate year. It won’t stop coaches from pulling players from the overseas pro ranks, but it will keep schools from fielding teams of 25-27 year olds.
To provide some clarity to the rule, let’s look at some of Syracuse’s incoming international basketball players. Incoming men’s basketball players Abdramane Siby (October 2026 birthdate) and Mark Morano Mahmutović (February 2027) have turned 19 and under the new guidelines, their five-year clock would start in 26-27 no matter what.
Uche Izoje would face a different situation. Izoje has a November 2004 birthdate meaning that she was 20 at the time of enrollment at Syracuse. Under the new guidelines, Izoje would have four seasons of eligibility, but to be clear the new rules will not impact any current collegiate athletes.
The five-year eligibility rule will be decided upon later this month and if approved, it will automatically apply to athletes with eligibility remaining in 26-27. This would be good news for a lot of Syracuse sports as it would result in several athletes gaining eligibility without needing waivers including Steve Angeli and Joe Cruz from football.
