Another day, another circus that involves the NCAA!
We have yet another court ruling regarding the eligibility status of the Class of 2022. On Friday, the Tenth Circuit has GRANTED the NCAA’s stay request in Wisne v. NCAA.
Essentially, Judge Sweeney’s nationwide injunction is now stayed pending appeal, meaning qualifying Class of 2022 athletes lose their federal fifth-season protection for now. (unless they are listed in a separate state lawsuit that had a TRO/injunction granted).
Big news. Class of 2022 athletes who exhausted four years of eligibility this past spring are now ineligible unless they are part of their own lawsuit/injunction.
— Sam C. Ehrlich (@samcehrlich) August 21, 2026
Not much in terms of rationale, but, notably, one of the three judges on the panel would have denied the stay. https://t.co/R8I2STJ13p pic.twitter.com/UeEyKC6KQH
While Cameron Fens, a recent addition for North Carolina, is currently still eligible, a former Tar Heel who we all hated to see go is currently not elgibile to suit up for his new school.
Seth Trimble among the players impacted by this latest court ruling
With this new ruling, Seth Trimble, who committed to play for Louisville, is among those who are now not currently eligible.
A look at some notable fifth-year commitments that were ONLY protected by the Colorado federal case 👀
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) August 21, 2026
These players haven't (yet) been listed in any separate state lawsuits that had a TRO/injunction granted, meaning they're (currently) NOT eligible for a fifth season ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/7163xZPDzG
Before we get into this discussion, let's make one thing clear: no one is celebrating this ruling and how it negatively affects Trimble.
However, it's important to note that this ruling has the potential to wipe out the possibility of Trimble competing for another ACC program to finish up his college basketball career, something that Tar Heel nation would love to avoid.
Maybe this is a sign that Trimble is simply meant to have spent his entire NCAA career in Chapel Hill? If the ruling stands, we certainly won't be opposed to it.
This whole situation is an absolute mess. From players on current NFL rosters looking to get released to head back to college to student-athletes all across the 2022 class aiming to play one more collegiate season essentially anywhere they can, it's gotten to a point where it is beyond out of control.
Add these back and forth court rulings into the mix, and what we have is an absolute circus!
Let's face it: the NCAA is the one to blame here. If they just did the right thing and grandfathered these student-athletes in, we could've avoided this mess from the jump. Instead, the NCAA did NCAA-like things, setting itself up for these types of lawsuits and chaos that have ensued.
The scary thing is: this is FAR from over!
Now, expect players like Trimble to file their own lawsuits that would potentially overrule this latest court ruling. For someone like Trimble, why wouldn't you contest the ruling, especially with so much reported NIL money on the line?
While we hate to see this happen to Trimble, we aren't going to lie to you and say that we aren't a bit happy that we won't have to see him wearing a Louisville jersey next season. This obviously can change, and we all should expect it about 15 times before the 2026-2027 season gets underway, but for now, we can put to the side the idea of Trimble completing his college career with another program.
The saga officially continues, as the latest ruling impacts dozens of student-athletes who originally thought that they had their plans for at least the next year set in place.
Add us as a preferred source on Google