The NCAA Division I Cabinet unanimously approved a sweeping eligibility overhaul Tuesday, granting all D-I athletes five years of competition while eliminating redshirt seasons and injury waivers under the new framework.

The so-called "age-based eligibility model" takes effect for any athlete with remaining eligibility following the 2025-26 academic year. Athletes who completed their fourth season of eligibility by spring 2026 are not eligible for the new rule.

Under the new model, an athlete's eligibility clock starts when they first enroll in college or at the beginning of the academic year following their 19th birthday -- whichever comes first.

The old standard

The previous framework gave athletes five years to complete four seasons of competition, with one redshirt year built in. That standard eroded over time through a series of carve-outs: partial-season redshirts, injury waivers that restored lost seasons, the blanket COVID eligibility year granted in 2020, and a 2024 court ruling stemming from former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia's lawsuit that extended waivers to junior college athletes.

The result was an increasing number of athletes competing into their mid-20s.

What changes

The new rule removes redshirt seasons and eligibility waivers entirely, replacing the patchwork system with a straightforward five-year competition window tied to age and enrollment.