How the NCAA's 2022 Eligibility Ruling Could Affect Houston
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There's a chance that Houston Cougars fans could see a familiar face or two return for another season after some unexpected news in the college sports landscape.
A federal court's preliminary injunction on July 31st surprisingly ruled that all high school class of 2022 athletes who used up their four seasons of college eligibility are now eligible for a fifth year this upcoming 2026-27 season.
While the NCAA has filed an expedited appeal, the current ruling by U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Denver applies at the moment. There were further clarifications made by the judge, such as the injunction having a standard age limit of being under 24 years old and an individual not being eligible after signing a professional contract.
Additionally, transfer rules also remain in place for this, as athletes attempting to return cannot transfer to a new school unless they were already active in the transfer portal during the official window.
Those clarifications were needed as it initially seemed that a can of worms might have been opened. The roster changes could have been out of control, but now there is some limit. Houston was also impacted by this ruling. There are a few football players who could come back to the Cougars for another season if all this eventually holds up.
A Surprise Houston Return?
It has already been reported that former senior Houston kicker Ethan Sanchez is looking into possibly returning to college football after going undrafted and eventually unsigned at the NFL level.
Former senior wide receiver and fan favorite Stephon Johnson is also eligible for this potential fifth year. The Houston native was a three-star prospect in the class of 2022 and spent his true freshman season at Oklahoma State that year before transferring to Houston.
He spent three seasons as a Cougar from 2023-25 and was a fourth-year senior last season. Boogie, as he's known in Houston, played only five games last season and suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury in his right foot.
Johnson tried to apply for a medical redshirt, but his request was denied. He declared for the NFL Draft and got an invite to New York Giants mini-camp, however Johnson didn't sign a contract. That makes him eligible to return to Houston in this injunction.
Johnson tweeted on his X account when the news came out, saying, "I'm back baby." He also put out a highlight reel of himself the next day with the caption "Hope y'all ain't forget." While he said that, nothing has been confirmed by Houston. It all has to wait once the ruling officially gets appealed.
Hope yall ain’t forget pic.twitter.com/yiNSlXCjvP
— Stephon¹ (@BoogieCO22) August 1, 2026
Additionally, former Houston senior defensive lineman Xavier Stillman could also be eligible under the ruling. He went undrafted and didn't sign a professional contract after four years in college.
On the basketball side, it was reported by Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports on Monday that Houston is now interested in forward Keyshawn Hall, who would also be eligible for a fifth season as he wasn't drafted and didn't sign a binding professional contract with any team.
While he did sign an Exhibit 10 contract with the Miami Heat, that was just to play in the NBA Summer League and isn't considered a binding deal as it has no guaranteed money as well.
Hall has already gotten significant interest and Houston is now one of them.
However, it isn't that simple that these athletes can just rejoin Houston. The number of roster spots has not changed, and another athlete will have to be moved or cut for someone else to come in. The number of scholarships available, as well as what the NIL cap may look like for teams, varies, and it may not be possible to return.
There's a lot to think about for these programs. This ruling has massive implications across collegiate sports, and it will be interesting to see where this development ultimately goes.
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Maanav Gupta is a staff writer for Houston Cougars on SI. He graduated from the University of Houston in the summer of 2025 with his bachelor’s in journalism and a minor in Spanish. Gupta spent three years at the student newspaper, The Daily Cougar, and also covered the 2025 Final Four and National Championship as Houston beat writer for College Basketball Review. He also has his own YouTube channel, Maanav’s Sports Talk, where he has interviewed professional athletes and broadcasters like Jim Nantz, Jose Altuve, J.J. Watt, Rich Eisen, and Alperen Sengun. Gupta was also a contributor to the Houston athletic program as a student. You can find Gupta on X, Instagram and TikTok @MGSportsTalk.