The decision essentially pauses a preliminary injunction that granted a fifth season for the upcoming 2026-27 college season and represents a significant legal victory for the NCAA. Andy Lyons / Getty ImagesAug. 21, 2026 Updated 11:55 am EDTA court ruling that gave college athletes from the high school Class of 2022 a fifth season of eligibility has been paused.The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit granted a stay request on Friday in the Wisne v. NCAA class-action lawsuit, which challenged the NCAA’s new age-based eligibility rule that ran out the clock on college athletes from the high school Class of 2022 this past spring. The decision essentially pauses a preliminary injunction that granted a fifth season for the upcoming 2026-27 college season and represents a significant legal victory for the NCAA.The NCAA has been fighting dozens of challenges to its new eligibility rule in court in recent weeks. Friday’s pause in the federal class-action lawsuit does not supersede court rulings in similar eligibility lawsuits at the state-court level — such as a recent win for athletes in Louisiana — but it limits the number of athletes who have access to a fifth season of eligibility, at least for the time being. The appeal process will continue in the 10th Circuit court, though it’s unlikely to get an appeal decision before the college football season kicks off next week.