How another Vanderbilt player-led lawsuit could impact Mississippi State

Athletes are taking the NCAA to court over its redshirt rule, saying it unfairly cuts a year of play and limits NIL earning potential.

Mississippi State Quarterback Kamario Taylor (#1) during the game between the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles and the Mississippi State Bulldogs at M.M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, MS. | Mississippi State Athletics

While most of us were workshopping jokes about Kenny Dillingham’s inability to use the internet to find hotels in Starkville, something much more serious happened Monday.

A group of current and former NCAA athletes, including Vanderbilt linebacker Langston Patterson and defensive lineman Issa Ouattara filed a class action lawsuit against the NCAA “seeking a change to the NCAA’s Redshirt Rule, which would allow all players to compete throughout the entirety of their five years of eligibility under NCAA bylaws.”

Translating the legalese, the goal of the lawsuit is to eliminate the NCAA’s four-seasons-in-five-years rule that allows for the possibility of athletes being redshirted.

Under the current redshirt rule, college athletes only have four years of eligibility unless they receive a redshirt then they get a fifth year.

The lawsuit argues that the redshirt rule forces “the athletes to forfeit a year of eligibility is an anticompetitive restraint on their earning potential. The NCAA has no basis to legally prevent them from maximizing athletes’ ability to generate NIL income during their five years of eligibility by forcing them to give up their fifth year in order to play as a true freshman.”

There is a new lawsuit that had been filed against the NCAA’s

Along with four others, Vanderbilt LB Langston Patterson is suing for the NCAA to change its eligibility rules regarding Redshirt Rules, giving them 5 full seasons to play over a 5 year span. pic.twitter.com/zYliLHsIe1

— Trey Wallace (@TreyWallace_) September 2, 2025

College athletes aren’t limited from earning money through NIL deals or from revenue sharing during a redshirted year. But they get a fifth year of potential earnings whereas others only get four years of opportunities.

There is likely also an impact on redshirt players not being able to maximize their earnings because of the reduced playing time.

"We are not challenging the NCAA's rule limiting players to five years of eligibility to play college sports or the concept of a defined eligibility period generally," co-counsel Ryan Downton said in a press release. "But the NCAA has no basis to prohibit a player who is working just as hard as all of his teammates in practice, in the weight room, and in the classroom from stepping on the field or court to compete against another school in one of those seasons."

The potential arguments the NCAA could make aren’t great choices. We’ll let much smarter people than us dig into all of that, but my initial thought is the potential arguments have a strong get-off-my-lawn, boomer-type of vibe.

How will this impact Mississippi State?

Mississippi State Bulldogs quarterback Kamario Taylor delivers a throw in the Maroon-White Game at Davis Wade Stadium in Starkville, Miss. | Mississippi State Athletics

Kamario Taylor could play in Starkville for five full seasons. He could continue this season in the role the Bulldogs used him in last week as a short-yardage running quarterback.

There’s not a single Mississippi State fan that would say not that right now.

The same is true for the other 22 true freshman on the Bulldogs’ roster.

Also, there won’t be any new rules about coaches having to play everyone. They’ll still get to choose the best possible players to be on the field.

Lastly, as is always the case with class action lawsuits, there will be former players who will be impacted by this, most likely in the form of a payment for being prevented from past money earning opportunities.