Who will get hurt by the "5 in 5" rule?

[Fletcher]

If implemented this year (which the NCAA president is pushing for), wrestlers will only have 5 yrs. after turning age 19. For a holdback like Bo Bassett, it means he'll only have 4 yrs.  Any other prominent HS wrestlers who will be impacted by this?

Presumably guys already in college will be grandfathered under the old system, but who knows.

[RawDog]

Sergio Vega will be hurt by the 5 for 5 rule as it allows Mendez to return and get revenge.

[ionel]

20 minutes ago, RawDog said:

Sergio Vega will be hurt by the 5 for 5 rule as it allows Mendez to return and get revenge.

How did revenge work out for Hardy?  

[Fletcher]

If they grandfather current students, someone like Mendez would have to follow the old rule and his eligibility is expired.

If they don't grandfather, we'll see a bunch of 4/4 guys who thought they were done scrambling to find a school for next year. Would they be allowed another year/school if they were never in the transfer portal? Lots of ambiguity around this.

[Hilton Head Joe]

3 hours ago, Fletcher said:

If they grandfather current students, someone like Mendez would have to follow the old rule and his eligibility is expired.

If they don't grandfather, we'll see a bunch of 4/4 guys who thought they were done scrambling to find a school for next year. Would they be allowed another year/school if they were never in the transfer portal? Lots of ambiguity around this.

Lawyers will be hard at work. Clarify a bunch of 4/4 guys who are 22 years old and younger. Sounds like it is gonna pass. I know how up to date Jax's dad is on every aspect of everything. I bet this is why Jax came out at last second to wrestle this year! 

[Le duke]

3 hours ago, Fletcher said:

If they grandfather current students, someone like Mendez would have to follow the old rule and his eligibility is expired.

If they don't grandfather, we'll see a bunch of 4/4 guys who thought they were done scrambling to find a school for next year. Would they be allowed another year/school if they were never in the transfer portal? Lots of ambiguity around this.

Haines as well. But I'd imagine he's done. Dude wants to wrestle Freestyle, hunt and be a state park/game lands ranger, and not necessarily in that order. 

[BruceyB]

4 hours ago, Fletcher said:

If implemented this year (which the NCAA president is pushing for), wrestlers will only have 5 yrs. after turning age 19. For a holdback like Bo Bassett, it means he'll only have 4 yrs.  Any other prominent HS wrestlers who will be impacted by this?

Presumably guys already in college will be grandfathered under the old system, but who knows.

We don't actually know that this is the case. I'd guess that it's more likely a blanket type rule about birth year rather than a case by case ruling where birthdays might only be days apart within the same year but be different years eligibility-wise.

Obviously I don't know, but I'm guessing that anyone who graduates at 19 is going to have the full allotment of eligibility. The goal of the rule is to limit how long guys are competing in college, not to penalize kids that are holdbacks. So I'm guessing they will end up ruling in favor of guys like Bassett getting their 5 full years.

[CHROMEBIRD]

The Bassett situation is the biggest problem with the proposed 5x5 rule. It starts a kid's eligibility clock before they even start college.

For current athletes who already competed 4 seasons but are gifted a 5th, it'll create a roster and budgeting nightmare. Programs have already recruited freshmen & transfers to replace departing seniors. Now they'll have both, along with a roster cap and revshare issue. Will the NCAA reopen the transfer portal? Will athletes have to turn down job offers or scramble to get into grad school? Could the returning athletes cause a Title IX imbalance?

If the rule passes, I would expect very limited grandfathering or have a phase-in period where it doesn't go into full effect until 2031 or something.

[Caveira]

4 hours ago, CHROMEBIRD said:

The Bassett situation is the biggest problem with the proposed 5x5 rule. It starts a kid's eligibility clock before they even start college.

For current athletes who already competed 4 seasons but are gifted a 5th, it'll create a roster and budgeting nightmare. Programs have already recruited freshmen & transfers to replace departing seniors. Now they'll have both, along with a roster cap and revshare issue. Will the NCAA reopen the transfer portal? Will athletes have to turn down job offers or scramble to get into grad school? Could the returning athletes cause a Title IX imbalance?

If the rule passes, I would expect very limited grandfathering or have a phase-in period where it doesn't go into full effect until 2031 or something.

At least this will stop holding back kids 5 grades in grammar school to get an advantage over everyone else.   Some good would come out of it.  
 

Although people should not get 5 post seasons.  That’s kind of trash.  

[Hilton Head Joe]

45 minutes ago, Caveira said:

At least this will stop holding back kids 5 grades in grammar school to get an advantage over everyone else.   Some good would come out of it.  
 

Although people should not get 5 post seasons.  That’s kind of trash.  

My guess is no one gets a 5th year next year that are graduating this year. Numbers game. Simply won't work. And if they try that then roster sizes will be ballooned a bit with some new kids or 2nd stringers getting cut. I don't think they give current seniors who have used 4 years of eligibility a 5th year option. But I don't think they really care. The lawsuits over eligibility have costs the NCAA dearly. They want the problem fixed now! And it will be. Even Trump is in support for quick action. Word is if they can't come up with a solution then Trump is going to sign an executive order. I keep seeing 19 and 23. Or 19 by the 24th bday. But this 5th year for this years class is what they are debating. So if the rumors are true the double holdbacks are going to be the biggest losers here. My guess is we see alot of kids try to do what Jax did. Now I get why Jax did what he did!  

Edited April 26 by Hilton Head Joe

[juniorvarsity]

6 hours ago, BruceyB said:

 The goal of the rule is to limit how long guys are competing in college, not to penalize kids that are holdbacks. So I'm guessing they will end up ruling in favor of guys like Bassett getting their 5 full years.

This. 

The 19 years old piece is part of it because you cannot compete as a senior in high school if you are any older than Bassett. So they have keep everything aligned. Guys like Bassett are not going to be penalized for this when he is technically within the rules of high school athletics. You have to have it all aligned. Bassett getting one less year is just drama. Not gonna happen. I cannot picture him getting penalized when he isn't breaking any rules. 

[Hilton Head Joe]

27 minutes ago, juniorvarsity said:

This. 

The 19 years old piece is part of it because you cannot compete as a senior in high school if you are any older than Bassett. So they have keep everything aligned. Guys like Bassett are not going to be penalized for this when he is technically within the rules of high school athletics. You have to have it all aligned. Bassett getting one less year is just drama. Not gonna happen. I cannot picture him getting penalized when he isn't breaking any rules. 

Then why did Jax jump at last second? They don't give a rat's sh.. about Bassett or any other wrestling star. This is very high level litigation correction to quell the barrage of lawsuits building against the NCAA. One year holdbacks will be fine for the most part. It's the 2 year holdbacks that are scrambling and in danger of losing a year. Have a good friend who is going to college next year and he is finishing his junior year in HS. Going to summer school to shore up credits to start a year early. He is a two year holdback and is now scrambling. Looks like it is going to work out for him. I wish all these kids the best and am sad for them because of what their parents did. Either way not the end of the world in whatever situation the NCAA decides.   

Edited April 27 by Hilton Head Joe

[Husker_Du]

I highly doubt the 19 year thing is part of the final rule.

but let's move on from that.

I think the schools that will be 'hurt' the most will be the power programs.

hypothetically, they won't be able to stash a stud for a year while they redshirt. talented guys will want to start all five. 

maybe it's a bit of wishful thinking on my part, as I'd like to see a stud that's at OKST or PSU go to idk...indiana or Wyoming.

[kschlosser]

4 hours ago, Hilton Head Joe said:

My guess is no one gets a 5th year next year that are graduating this year. Numbers game. Simply won't work. And if they try that then roster sizes will be ballooned a bit with some new kids or 2nd stringers getting cut. I don't think they give current seniors who have used 4 years of eligibility a 5th year option. But I don't think they really care. 

Kind of like the covid seniors in 2020. Thanks, sorry, good luck

[flyingcement]

3 hours ago, Husker_Du said:

I highly doubt the 19 year thing is part of the final rule.

but let's move on from that.

I think the schools that will be 'hurt' the most will be the power programs.

hypothetically, they won't be able to stash a stud for a year while they redshirt. talented guys will want to start all five. 

maybe it's a bit of wishful thinking on my part, as I'd like to see a stud that's at OKST or PSU go to idk...indiana or Wyoming.

Would be an awesome result if it happened this way. 

if top caliber guys are expected to grind through five seasons straight, we would probably see a lot fewer matches each season from those guys to keep them healthy.  The extra year means it would be similar level of matches overall, but with less frequency - more chances for backups to take a couple of duals here and there.

the 5 year rule sort of renders the redshirt obsolete.  and would it do the same for greyshirt, depending on the exact language if someone could still camp out in Spartan Combat for a year

[JVBJ01]

The Ivy League Schools will be hurt, because their wrestlers still will only have 4 years to compete.

[ScottishSteel]

1 hour ago, JVBJ01 said:

The Ivy League Schools will be hurt, because their wrestlers still will only have 4 years to compete.

I think you would just still see more of the Cardenas route - get that Ivy degree and transfer for the 5th year/grad school

[Gene Mills Fan]

The guys that stay healthy and don't Medical redshirt.

[CHROMEBIRD]

16 hours ago, Husker_Du said:

I highly doubt the 19 year thing is part of the final rule.

but let's move on from that.

I think the schools that will be 'hurt' the most will be the power programs.

hypothetically, they won't be able to stash a stud for a year while they redshirt. talented guys will want to start all five. 

maybe it's a bit of wishful thinking on my part, as I'd like to see a stud that's at OKST or PSU go to idk...indiana or Wyoming.

13 hours ago, flyingcement said:

Would be an awesome result if it happened this way. 

if top caliber guys are expected to grind through five seasons straight, we would probably see a lot fewer matches each season from those guys to keep them healthy.  The extra year means it would be similar level of matches overall, but with less frequency - more chances for backups to take a couple of duals here and there.

the 5 year rule sort of renders the redshirt obsolete.  and would it do the same for greyshirt, depending on the exact language if someone could still camp out in Spartan Combat for a year

That's a good point. In high-contact sports like wrestling, I imagine we'd see much more load management, ducking, and other injury mitigation since a guy can get banged-up and automatically lose an entire season of eligibility under 5x5.

The more I think about it, the more 5x5 feels like a solution for football & basketball problems (esp in the P4) and headaches for everyone else. In theory it would spread the talent out across more programs, but the portal will still be the portal and P4 programs still have the resources to pluck the best talent from smaller teams. If anything it could reduce the impact of high school recruiting, outside of the most elite incoming freshmen. Coaches will just shop the portal and pull the best wrestlers they didn't recruit as high schoolers. Athletes will still get recruited over and transfer, so we might actually end up seeing a higher concentration of talent in the P4. 

Also, the cost of supporting more 5th year athletes, esp high valuation football and basketball players, will be much tougher on athletic departments. Wrestling and other non-revenue sports (men's and women's) could end up getting cut to relieve the financial strain.

[CHROMEBIRD]

I also wonder if the rule could affect our Olympic and World talent pool (and the RTCs) if guys in college can't take an ORS or are worried about getting injured wrestling FS/GR in the offseason. I'm guessing things won't change much, but who knows.

[jdalu75]

If this ever passes, which I highly doubt, we'll immediately see efforts to skirt the rules.  Only the lawyers will get rich.

 

[GimJustafan]

1 hour ago, jdalu75 said:

If this ever passes, which I highly doubt, we'll immediately see efforts to skirt the rules.  Only the lawyers will get rich.

 

skirt the rules you mean like the Olympic red shirt now where you don't even need to attempt to make the team 

 

5 in 5 is the way to go 

[Dogbone]

I don't know what is so hard about you get 4 postseasons in 5 years.  Wrestle as many duals/tourneys as you like but only 4 postseasons.   I suppose 5 for 5 is fine but I don't get the need.   Feels like this a problem the NCAA created by allowing extra covid years to non seniors and then getting lenient with medical years so now we are making a 5 for 5 rule to over correct a problem that wasn't there before.  

Agree with getting rid of the Olympic redshirt.  I think last cycle all legitimate contenders all wrestled the NCAA season and everyone who used the Oly redshirt just did it stretch eligibility or balance roster management. 

[scourge165]

On 4/26/2026 at 8:26 AM, Fletcher said:

If implemented this year (which the NCAA president is pushing for), wrestlers will only have 5 yrs. after turning age 19. For a holdback like Bo Bassett, it means he'll only have 4 yrs.  Any other prominent HS wrestlers who will be impacted by this?

Presumably guys already in college will be grandfathered under the old system, but who knows.

I thought it was 5 years after turning 19 OR graduating HS. I can't see them making guys ineligible who were eligible in HS. 

So I think it's just to eliminate the OLY Redshirts, Medicals, etc...

Who'd be hurt? A LOT of young guys on Penn State. Guys like Desmond, Henckel, Cunningham, maybe Jaden James. Probably PSU and then Okie State a little bit. 

[MPhillips]

2 minutes ago, scourge165 said:

I thought it was 5 years after turning 19 OR graduating HS.

This is also where I was. 

If Bo starts college at 19 doesn't that give him five?