Braeden Carrington decided to play his last season at Wisconsin, and he was excellent off the bench for Greg Gard and the Badgers. He found something at Wisconsin, and it came right when his eligibility was running out. Carrington has played four years: two years at Minnesota, one year for the University of Tulsa, and finally his fourth season at Wisconsin. He was done and out of eligibility. Then the NCAA decided to make a rule: "Going forward, student-athletes are eligible to play five seasons in five years."
They were quick to say that the current four-year players, those who entered in 2022, won't be eligible. The five-year rule starts going forward; no one gets grandfathered in. Then, of course, the lawsuits started. And things got bogged down in courts, and Carrington's case is still ongoing. However, one judge in Colorado just ordered the NCAA to allow all 2022 athletes who exhausted their eligibility to receive one more season. That would include Carrington.
NEW: Judge Charlotte Sweeney has ordered the NCAA to declare eligible all Class of 2022 athletes who exhausted four seasons this spring, per court documents.https://t.co/RvYVUBBhXw pic.twitter.com/NNLBjfCAqB
— On3 (@On3) July 31, 2026
The NCAA vs. class of 2022 athletes fight may not be over but the first step is big
Related: Owen Foxwell is confident he can make an immediate impact at Wisconsin
Judge Sweeney's ruling stated, “All persons in the United States who began to play in collegiate sports in the 2022-2023 season, competed in NCAA Division I sports, and completed four years of eligibility as defined by the NCAA’s prior rules by the conclusion of the 2025-2026 season, and are therefore barred from playing a fifth season due to the NCAA’s adoption and immediate implementation of the Five-Year Eligibility Rule,”
Yet, this is only the first step of many. The NCAA will almost certainly and immediately appeal to the Tenth Circuit. Pushing this further into the courts. However, this ruling is vital going forward as it paves the way for the Tenth Circuit to either agree with Sweeney's findings or come up with their own conclusions. Having a judge push this forward is big for players like Carrington seeking another year.
The judge was also smart to make sure the declaration was only for those 2022-2023 athletes who have exhausted four years of eligibility. This wasn't just anyone and everyone who wants a fifth year gets one. Which could mean that the NCAA relents and just allows it to happen. It would create more chaos, but not nearly as much as there could be.
Especially because the NCAA is swamped with court cases all over the country with similar processes. AJ Storr was one of those athletes who was granted, along with a good chunk of other players, an injunction against the NCAA for a fifth year. He's now looking at transferring to his fifth school.
Carrington's group lawsuit hasn't reached that conclusion yet and is still ongoing. This bigger one by Judge Sweeney may have just paved the way for all these similar cases in court to either wait to see how this all plays out or immediately free up athletes in the same fashion.
For Carrington and Wisconsin, this pushes things to a tipping point as the Badgers finalize the last spot on their roster. As the international pool doesn't seem to be turning up any huge recruits, the Badgers may have just found a star, already in their own gym.
Add us as a preferred source on Google