NCAA eligibility proposal could shake up Gonzaga’s roster and transfer portal plans

The proposed ‘five-in-five’ eligibility model could flood the transfer portal with veteran talent and reshape roster building across college basketball

Gonzaga Bulldogs Tyon Grant-Foster (7) and Graham Ike (15). | Photo by Myk Crawford

They say the only constant in the world is change, and that could not be more true of the modern era of college basketball.

After a half-decade of turbulence - to put it lightly - in the landscape of college athletics, NCAA president Charlie Baker is openly advocating for what would become a monumental change to eligibility rules.

Baker supports what has been labeled the "five-in-five" ruling for student-athlete eligibility, which would effectively eliminate the vast majority of waivers and redshirts, which has become a major source of strain for the organization due to numerous lawsuits.

This concept would allow student-athletes to compete in five seasons of college athletics over a five-year window, starting at the completion of high school graduation or when they turn 19 years old, whichever comes first.

“The goal here was to come up with something that was a lot simpler and sort of familiar,” Baker said. “If you think about it, we all grow up playing sports and our kids grow up playing sports and it’s U-10, U-12, U-15, U-18, U-20, U-22 leagues, right? The idea of an age-based dynamic or parameter is pretty familiar. That’s the way most of amateur sports is organized in who gets to participate. It became pretty clear, pretty quickly, that a lot of people really appreciated the simplicity of [the concept] and the fact that it creates kind of a clock.”

Currently, the proposed rule change has a limited subset of exceptions, including religious missions, active military service, or maternity leave, although litigation would almost certainly emerge to challenge that should this rule go into effect.

“This is probably the best option that we have at this point,” WCC commissioner Stu Jackson said. “Five in five years doesn’t absolve the NCAA from potential litigation, but it certainly gives us the best fighting chance to avoid it. I’m very supportive of it.”

Immediate impact

The biggest question right now is how the NCAA will handle current student-athletes who are no longer eligible, but who would suddenly gain eligibility with this rule change going into effect.

Guys who played four years in four straight seasons would, in theory, be eligible to return for a fifth year, and in fact, many of those student-athletes have preemptively entered the transfer portal in the hopes of securing one more season - and hefty NIL payday - before entering 'the real world'.

While the NCAA has not determined whether these particular student-athletes will be 'grandfathered' in or not, it creates the potential for an incredibly chaotic summer on the basketball side of things.

The rule could be implemented as early as late May, putting coaches who are trying to build a competitive roster for next season, while balancing a budget and adhering to roster limitations, in a tricky spot.

Many programs are even earmarking large sums of money to go after players who could suddenly become available, according to Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68.

What it means for Gonzaga

The Zags had five players exhaust their eligibility after last season: All-American center Graham Ike, forwards Jalen Warley and Tyon Grant-Foster, guard Adam Miller, and walk-on Noah Haaland.

Of those five, only Haaland played exactly four years of college basketball, meaning he is the only one who would have an opportunity to play next season if this rule were to go into effect.

Miller did enter the transfer portal earlier this week, but the 6'3 guard played five total seasons between stints at Illinois, LSU, Arizona State, and Gonzaga, and he also redshirted in 2021-22, meaning he spent six total years as a college student. It's unlikely he would get a waiver approved to play next season, regardless of whether this rule goes into effect.

While Gonzaga likely wouldn't bring back any of last year's seniors, this rule would flood the market with talented veteran players over the summer. Whether Gonzaga lands any of those players or not, the influx of talent should benefit the Zags in some capacity - either by allowing them to scoop up other available transfers, or incoming freshmen, who become easier to bring in thanks to the additional players available.