Arizona could lose RJ Godfrey after latest NCAA eligibility ruling
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It's mid-September, and Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats may have lost their projected starting power forward.
RJ Godfrey, who committed to Arizona after being granted a fifth year of eligibility in a lawsuit filed in Georgia, is now ineligible after the Georgia Court of Appeals granted the NCAA a stay request.
The case is still under appeal by the NCAA, but while the appeal process is ongoing, the plaintiffs, including Godfrey, will no longer be eligible to practice or compete in college athletics.
This is the same ruling that occurred in the federal Colorado lawsuit, as well as similar state lawsuits filed in Ohio and Tennessee, in what is an ongoing legal battle between the NCAA and the class of 2022.
The Georgia Court of Appeals issued a stay of the injunction granted to five-for-five plaintiffs in the Godfrey case, joining the courts of appeal in Ohio and Tennessee (plus the Tenth Circuit in Wisne). pic.twitter.com/IleR205kGH
— Sam C. Ehrlich (@samcehrlich) September 9, 2026
Arizona has to adjust without Godfrey
The roller coaster for Godfrey continues. While this means the 6'7 forward is currently not eligible, it does not mean the fight is over. It's possible the stay request gets reversed - which is being pursued in the Ohio lawsuit - or that the NCAA loses the appeal, either of which would make Godfrey eligible again.
But for now, Lloyd and the Wildcats must prepare for a season without the rugged forward, who averaged 12.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists last year for the Tigers - playing 25.2 minutes per game and shooting 62.7% on two pointers.
Arizona was expected to start Godfrey at the four alongside Mo Krivas, Ivan Kharchenkov, Caleb Holt, and Derek Dixon. Now the team has a few options to replace him, with the most likely outcome being Kharchenkov moving up to the four and 4-star freshman Cameron Holmes sliding into the starting lineup at the three.
Arizona has several options to replace Godfrey
Holmes is ranked No. 36 in the 2026 class at 247Sports, and at 6'6 with a 6'9 wingspan, he has the requisite size and skill set to be a valuable two-way role player at the collegiate level. Holmes, whose brother DaRon was an All-American at Dayton before going to the NBA, won't try to do too much as a freshman, and is a nice complementary piece alongside players like Krivas, Kharchenkov, and Holt who need plenty of touches offensively.
Adding Holmes to the starting five would thin out Arizona's backcourt depth however, putting more pressure on Bryce James and JJ Mandaquit to contribute in larger roles.
Arizona could also opt to keep Kharchenkov at the three and start one of the international forwards, likely either Maksim Brnovic or Ugnius Jarusevicius.
Brnovic stands 6'10 and played well for BC Zalgiris in Lithuania last year, averaging 8.1 points and 3.2 rebounds. The Montenegrin forward played a lot of minutes for Lloyd during the team's foreign tour, and seems the likeliest candidate to start next to Krivas and Kharchenkov if the team keeps Ivan at SF.
Jarusevicius is on his fourth college program after stops at Cal-State Bakersfield, Central Michigan, and Nebraska. The 6'10 forward had his season cut short with the Cornhuskers, appearing in just one game where he posted seven points and two blocks in 11 minutes before exiting with a back injury that ultimately kept him out for the rest of the season.
However, the big man was excellent at Central Michigan, averaging 16.2 points and 7.3 rebounds with a MAC leading 53.7% field goal rate, and he could easily push Brnovic for playing time at the four.
All three of Holmes, Brnovic, and Jarusevicius, as well as Idaho State transfer Evan Otten, stand to gain playing time if Godfrey is forced to miss some, or all, of the 2026-27 season.
Godfrey's eligibility could change again
Godfrey and the rest of the plaintiffs will pursue a reversal from the Georgia Court of Appeals, and of course will defend their case against an appeal from the NCAA. There's no guarantee he'll end up getting eligibility, but it wouldn't be a surprise if things change between now and the start of the season - or even during the season - as this roller coaster continues between the NCAA and the class of 2022.
Arizona will host fans for the annual Red-Blue Showcase on Sep. 26, with the first game of the season set for Nov. 2 against UCLA at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas at 7:00 PM PT.
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