Ohio Order Allows Colleges to Offer Fifth Year of Athletic Eligibility
Ohio's governor has signed an executive order enabling state colleges and universities to offer a fifth year of athletic eligibility to athletes who graduated from high school in 2022, providing an alternative to current NCAA eligibility rules.
Wichita Falls & Lawton, TX, October 13, 2026 —
Ohio’s governor has signed an executive order enabling state colleges and universities to offer a fifth year of athletic eligibility to athletes who graduated from high school in 2022. The order provides an alternative to current NCAA eligibility rules, according to the available description.
The measure gives colleges and universities in Ohio the option to offer the additional year to the specified group of athletes. The description does not say that schools are required to do so, or that every eligible athlete will receive a fifth year. It also does not provide details about how individual institutions may implement the option.
The order’s stated scope is limited to athletes who graduated from high school in 2022. The information provided does not explain why that graduating class was selected, how the fifth year would be counted, or how the state order interacts with the NCAA’s eligibility rules beyond identifying it as an alternative.
The governor’s name, the date the order was signed and the order’s formal title were not provided. The available information also does not identify which colleges have decided to offer the additional eligibility year, how many athletes could be affected, or whether any schools have announced plans to act.
The order establishes an option for Ohio’s state colleges and universities, but further details about its application and institutional decisions are not available in the information provided.
Story summarized from the original created by EDDIE PELLS and ALANIS THAMES, Associated Press on www.texomashomepage.com, see more information here.
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