Ohio Injunction Grants Baylor's Caden Powell, Other NCAA Athletes Additional Eligibility
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Baylor forward Caden Powell has been granted an additional year of eligibility following an Ohio injunction involving the NCAA’s age-based eligibility model.
According to On3, Xavier’s Filip Borovicanin, Cincinnati’s MJ Collins, Malik Messina-Moore, Kolby King, Javon Bennett, Chevalier Emery Jr., Jalen Quinn, Savannah White, Donovan Brown, Christian Henry, Ziare Wells, Cristian Carroll, Shawn Phillips Jr., Caden Powell and Josh Reed have been granted an injunction in Ohio permitting them an additional year of eligibility.
The ruling gives Powell a path back to Baylor for the 2026-27 season.
Powell was one of 15 athletes involved in the legal challenge against the NCAA after the Division I Cabinet approved its new age-based eligibility model. That model calls for an athlete’s eligibility clock to begin upon initial full-time enrollment in college or at the beginning of the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever comes earlier. Recruits starting in 2027 will be age-based only, according to On3.
For current athletes, the transition created immediate questions. On3 reported that currently enrolled athletes with eligibility remaining after the 2025-26 academic year will be allowed to apply the age-based model or continue under previous eligibility rules, whichever is most beneficial. The plaintiffs challenged how that transition applied to 2022 high school graduates who had already competed in four seasons.
“NCAA athletes have a reasonable expectation that they will be treated fairly by the NCAA and that NCAA rules will be applied consistently, regardless of the athlete’s background before they attend an NCAA school and regardless of the year in which they graduated from high school,” the lawsuit states, according to On3.
The lawsuit also pointed to the competitive imbalance created by COVID-era eligibility relief.
“For the last four years, 2022 high school graduates have been competing against older, stronger, and more experienced players allowed five (and even six) seasons of competition due to a Covid-era waiver granted to all athletes graduating high school and enrolling in college between 2017 and 2020,” the lawsuit states, according to On3.
How this impacts Baylor
For Baylor, Powell is the immediate name to watch. Powell played at Wyoming in 2022-23 and 2023-24, Rice in 2024-25 and Baylor in 2025-26. He became a useful frontcourt piece for Baylor last season after stepping into a larger role following a forearm injury to Juslin Bodo Bodo, averaging 6.9 points and 6.3 rebounds.
The ruling does not automatically finalize his roster status, but it does remove the eligibility barrier that previously clouded a possible return.
A Big 12 impact
The ruling also has a direct Big 12 impact beyond Baylor. Cincinnati’s MJ Collins was among the athletes granted the injunction. On3 reported Collins played at Utah State last season for new Cincinnati head coach Jerrod Calhoun and is expected to play for the Bearcats in 2026-27 following the ruling.
The broader takeaway is straightforward: the injunction gives the listed athletes another year to play, while forcing schools to quickly reassess roster spots, scholarship numbers and revenue-sharing plans ahead of the 2026-27 season.
For Baylor, that means Powell is back in the picture. Not hypothetically, but legally.
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Josh began covering Baylor athletics in July 2025. Before this, he previously wrote for Syracuse men's basketball and football at SI from 2022-24. As a former Division I defensive lineman at Prairie View, Josh is passionate about storytelling from a former athlete's perspective. When he's not covering Baylor, he enjoys traveling, listening to podcasts and music, and loves cooking a good meal.
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