The Division I Cabinet on Tuesday adopted a slate of changes to preenrollment eligibility rules, effective immediately for prospects enrolling in college during the 2026-27 academic year.
"Division I is currently undergoing an extensive review of all eligibility rules  to determine what makes the most sense in the current era of college sports," said Jon Steinbrecher, commissioner of the Mid-American Conference and vice chair of the Division I Cabinet. "These changes are the first phase of that process and are intended to provide immediate clarity for schools as they finalize rosters for the upcoming academic year, and the Cabinet will continue its work on broader eligibility discussions in the coming months."
Prospects will now be required to withdraw from opt-in professional league drafts, including the NBA draft, by legislated deadlines. This establishes consistent precollege enrollment and postcollege enrollment draft rules. Prospects will be permitted to enter the draft once without impacting collegiate eligibility. The rule is effective immediately for entrants in opt-in drafts occurring on or after April 15, 2026. This change does not impact sports in which prospects can be drafted without opting in to the respective professional league drafts (including men's ice hockey and baseball).
Additionally, prospects will now be permitted to accept prize money in their respective sports without impacting eligibility. The adjustment to preenrollment prize money rules is part of the class action settlement in Brantmeier v. NCAA, but the rule change is also consistent with Division I's ongoing work to modernize rules to benefit student-athletes.Â
There is no change to the long-standing and well-established rules regarding receipt of prize money after collegiate enrollment. The settlement and changes to preenrollment rules are fully consistent with, and do not change or modify in any way, the House injunction.
Finally, prospects are now permitted to sign with professional sports agents prior to college enrollment, consistent with agents for NIL representation. The Cabinet directed staff to develop options to address concerns related to agent behavior for consideration at future Cabinet meetings.Â
Period of eligibility concepts
The Cabinet also discussed a concept which — if eventually proposed and adopted — would adjust period of eligibility rules in Division I. In its current form, the concept explores eliminating "seasons of competition" and instead implementing an age-based model that allows student-athletes to be eligible for Division I competition for a window of five years, starting the academic year immediately after a prospective student-athlete's high school graduation or 19th birthday, whichever occurs first. There are possible exceptions considered under that model, including pregnancy, military service and religious missions.
The Cabinet did not take a formal position on the topic or the concept itself but did support NCAA staff continuing to discuss the idea with other stakeholders to gather additional feedback.
