Former Mizzou Forward Mark Mitchell Files Eligibility Lawsuit in Kentucky

Mark Mitchell's eligibility saga just entered quite a telling phase indicating his future at Missouri may not be as likely as once thought.

The former Tiger, who spent the final two seasons of his four-season collegiate career at Missouri, is part of a lawsuit in Louisville, Kentucky, filing for a fifth year of college eligibility, as first reported by Matt Jones of Kentucky Sports Radio. The location of the lawsuit, if you couldn't tell, seems to be quite important.

Along with seeking a fifth year of eligibility, Mitchell is also asking for judge Brian Edwards, who obtained his masters degree from the University of Kentucky in 1996, to open the transfer portal until Tuesday. Such is not the case in the nation-wide ruling implemented by Colorado judge Charlotte Sweeney on July 31, which allowed the NCAA to enforce portal and roster restrictions, and ask programs who don't to self-impose punishments including but not limited to fines and the suspension of the head coach for 50% of the season.

Mitchell has a hearing set for 9:30 a.m. CT Thursday.

There's a few problems with Mitchell's potential return to college basketball, each of which the lawsuit attempts to solve. First, Mitchell did not enter the transfer portal in the initial spring window, which under the current rulings implemented by Sweeney, means he cannot land with a school besides Missouri, who he ended the 2025-26 season with.

The lawsuit asks for a "temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, and thereafter a permanent injunction, enjoining the NCAA from prohibiting any Plaintiff from playing at any NCAA Division I school in the 2026-27 season because they failed to enter the transfer portal;"

Another attempt at solving the problem is stated a few lines below the previous statement in the lawsuit: "Requiring the NCAA to open the transfer portal for all Plaintiffs from Tuesday, August 11 at 12:00 pm through Tuesday, August 18 at 12:00 p.m.."

After wrapping up his 2025-26 season with Missouri — which he then likely assumed would be his final collegiate season — Mitchell did not enter the transfer portal, and instead signed an Exhibit-10 contract with the Denver Nuggets. He played for the Nuggets throughout Summer League.

The lawsuit requests a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction that disallows the NCAA from "prohibiting Plaintiffs from competing in NCAA Division I athletics in the 2026-27 season on the basis that they signed a professional contract prior to entry of the Colorado Order on July 31, 2026."

Although the lawsuit is filed in Louisville, it states that Mitchell is not set on where he wishes to play. Mitchell has been "prominently linked" to Kentucky, per the Louisville Courier-Journal. Kentucky head coach Mark Pope recently highlighted how the Wildcats' lack in strength and physicality, two traits that Mitchell overwhelmingly possesses.

"Everybody in college basketball has gotten so big and physical. That’s not us right now," Pope said in an interview with The Field of 68. "We are long, fast and skilled. We have some togetherness that’s going to translate to toughness for us, but we’re going to be challenged in terms of brute strength and physicality.”

Kentucky has an open roster spot, meaning the Wildcats wouldn't have to worry about potential roster caps like Missouri would, given the Tigers have a full 15-man roster. The lawsuit did, though, seemingly indicate that Mitchell has had previous conversations with Missouri.

"He is not sure where he will play if granted another year, and is having difficulty with his decision because NCAA rules currently prohibit him from speaking with any coaches other than his previous school even though he has graduated and been declared eligible," the filing states.

Mitchell averaged 18.3 points per game in his 2025-26 season at Missouri, leading the Tigers in scoring and to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. It's hard to imagine Missouri doesn't want the star forward back, but the full roster and presumably-heavy NIL splurge would make the reunion quite difficult.

Among all the eligibility chaos and changes, Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey recently reminded schools to follow rules regarding eligibility despite what new court rulings may say.

“Recent court rulings should not be interpreted as creating broader eligibility relief beyond the scope of the applicable orders,” Sankey wrote in a memo first reported by CBS Sports on Tuesday. “In addition, SEC eligibility rules, including those relating to intraconference transfers, remain in effect until fully or individually waived, or the rule is changed.”

So much for that.

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