Kenny Noland to Michigan Basketball on Hold — Can he Play for Wolverines?

There's another twist in the Kenny Noland to Michigan story.

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Michigan scored a key commitment from Columbia fifth-year transfer Kenny Noland. After four years of leading Columbia, Noland opted to transfer to the Wolverines. He was set to provide Michigan with leadership and someone who could come off the bench and back up Elliot Cadeau.

Reports indicated he had signed with Michigan, but the Wolverines never officially reported the news — and for good reason.

NCAA's stay request granted

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Back in July, Colorado-based judge Charlotte Sweeney issued a preliminary injunction for the entire 2022 class to receive a fifth year of eligibility. This stemmed from the NCAA's new five-for-five rule, which took away redshirts and waivers, allowing athletes to have five years of eligibility.

Obviously, the 2022 class wanted a piece of the pie and after Sweeney's injunction, they had it. But on Friday, the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit granted the NCAA's request to stay the action of the Colorado ruling. Which means, those 2022 athletes are currently ineligible.

That further means Noland is not currently eligible to play for Michigan this season, and that would be a similar situation for Roddy Gayle Jr. if he wanted to come back to the Wolverines.

The loop hole

There will still be plenty of the 2022 class suiting up to play in 2026, that's because they went out and got their own injunction granted. For Noland, or Gayle Jr., to become eligible again, they would need to lawyer up and get an injunction granted against the NCAA.

Unfortunately, there is going to be a lot of mystery heading into both the college football season, which officially begins next weekend, along with the college basketball season.

For Michigan, there are two open scholarships left, and one would be filled by Noland if he is granted an injunction against the NCAA prior to the season.

Noland and Gayle Jr. will be two names to continue to monitor

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It's clear both Noland and Michigan found a marriage, and now it needs to find a way to make it happen. Noland was a 17-plus scorer for Columbia, and he averaged nearly four assists and rebounds per game. He would add value to Michigan and the Wolverines wouldn't have to thrust some of their younger players into playing time.

Same goes for Gayle Jr., if he wanted to come back to Michigan. Mike Boynton Jr. has said he would welcome the return with open arms and he would love to make it happen. Gayle Jr. has a championship mindset, along with being a capable three-point shooter and excellent defender.

We would expect a lot more lawsuits on the table for and against the NCAA in the coming weeks. Buckle up, it's only going to get more confusing and nastier.