Ohio Order Allows Colleges to Offer Some Athletes a Fifth Year of Eligibility
The governor of Ohio has signed an executive order that permits colleges within the state to offer a fifth year of athletic eligibility to student-athletes who graduated high school in 2022, bypassing standard NCAA eligibility rules.
Panama City, FL, October 13, 2026 —
The governor of Ohio has signed an executive order permitting colleges in the state to offer a fifth year of athletic eligibility to student-athletes who graduated from high school in 2022. The order allows colleges to bypass standard NCAA eligibility rules for this group.
The measure gives colleges permission to offer the additional year; the information provided does not say that every college will do so or that every eligible athlete will receive one. It also does not specify which sports or institutions are covered, or describe any conditions athletes must meet.
The governor’s name and the date the order was signed were not provided. No explanation for the order, details about its implementation, or response from the NCAA or colleges were included in the available information.
The stated eligibility group is limited to student-athletes who graduated high school in 2022. The information does not clarify whether the order applies to athletes currently enrolled at Ohio colleges, whether it affects other graduating classes, or how colleges are expected to handle the additional year. Those details are not specified.
The order’s effect, as described, is to permit Ohio colleges to offer an exception to standard NCAA eligibility rules for the identified athletes. Without further details, it is not possible to determine how many athletes or institutions may be affected, or whether colleges will adopt the option.
Story summarized from the original created by EDDIE PELLS and ALANIS THAMES, Associated Press on www.mypanhandle.com, see more information here.
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