Every Michigan Basketball Player's Eligibility Under the New NCAA 5-for-5 Rule

With the new 5-for-5 rule coming to college athletics, here is what the Wolverines are going to look like on the court.

Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

The new 5-for-5 rule will once again change the landscape of college athletics. However, it will be easier to track, as the traditional redshirt and waivers are out the door — mostly. It's quite simple to figure out.

The athlete's five-year period will begin at either full-time college enrollment OR during the academic year following their 19th birthday — whichever comes first.

It's a new era to get used to, and something that will go into effect this season.

Looking ahead to basketball, here's the amount of eligibility every Michigan men's basketball player will have starting in the 2026-27 season.

The breakdown

In the table below, the 'years in school' is based on the conclusion of the 2025-26 season. The 'remaining eligibility' is from 2026-2027 and on.

Player Name	Years in School	Remaining Eligibility
Forward Jalen Reed	Four	Two*
Guard Elliot Cadeau	Three	Two
Forward J.P. Estrella	Three	Two
Center Moustapha Thiam	Two	Three
Forward Oscar Goodman	Two	Three
Guard L.J. Cason	Two	Three
Guard Trey McKenney	One	Four
Wing Ricky Liburd	One	Four
Guard Brandon McCoy Jr.	Zero	Five
Forward Quinn Costello	Zero	Five
Wing Lincoln Cosby	Zero	Five
Guard Joseph Hartman	Zero	Five
Wing Malachi Brown	Zero	Five
Center Marcus Moller	Zero	Five

*Reed can be grandfathered into a sixth-year of eligibility with a hardship waiver.

Will this make a significant change for Michigan

Yes, it certainly could be significant for Michigan and any other program. In football, a player is allowed to play up to four games and retain a redshirt, but now, with redshirts out the window, a team could have a player start every game for five years, in theory.

For basketball, it's another major change. Under the old rule, a player who was going to redshirt couldn't play a second of college basketball, or they would burn the redshirt. But now, Michigan can play any player it wants during the season to give them valuable experience.

There are a few incoming freshmen who likely weren't going to play this season. But if the Wolverines are blowing out an opponent, they could enter the contest and play a few minutes, and nothing hurts.

Of course, with Mike Boynton Jr. taking over on an interim level, Michigan must retain its roster first.

Chance of gaining a big-time player late in the 2026-27 season

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Plus, with the addition of the new rule, Michigan could gain a major boost for next season. Guard L.J. Cason could play in 2026-27 when he heals up.

After tearing his ACL late in the regular season, Cason and the coaching staff agreed he would redshirt this upcoming season. But with the five-for-five rule, Cason has a shot to play late in the season.

Cason was Michigan's primary backup point guard to Elliot Cadeau last season. Assuming Cason comes back with Dusty May's departure, he could resume that role when Michigan is hoping to make a deep run in both the Big Ten Conference Tournament and the NCAA Tournament.