NCAA to Adopt Historic Age-Based Eligibility Rule Change After Unanimous Vote by D1 Cabinet

The NCAA is reportedly making a historic change to its eligibility rules for student-athletes.

Per Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports, the NCAA Division I Cabinet unanimously voted to adopt an age-based eligibility model in which an athlete's eligibility clock starts upon initial full-time enrollment in college or at the beginning of the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs earlier.

Under the previous model, athletes were allowed four seasons of competition over five years with no age restrictions. The age-based eligibility policy has been in the works for months, and Pete Nakos of On3.com reported it will officially be implemented this summer.

"I'm pretty optimistic it's going to happen," NCAA president Charlie Baker told ESPN's Pete Thamel in April. "Mostly because the primary conversation hasn't been about the idea of an age-based eligibility model being controversial. A lot of people are familiar with it because they've dealt with it in other settings, and they understand the simplicity of it."

Dellenger noted that athletes who completed their fourth season of eligibility this year won't receive additional eligibility if they have not already taken a redshirt year. There is a July 31 deadline for athletes and schools to submit waiver requests regarding additional eligibility under the current rules.

The new age-based eligibility policy will affect how student-athletes approach their college careers going forward, as they won't be able to transfer from school to school in hopes of gaming the system. The number of fifth- and sixth-year seniors will surely diminish over the next few seasons as the policy goes into effect.