Why Former Penn State Basketball Player Josh Reed Is Suing the NCAA

The eligibility rules for college basketball are changing, as the NCAA’s Division I Cabinet adopted an age-based eligibility model that permits athletes to play five seasons over a five-year period. It will have a profound effect on college basketball rosters, including Penn State's. Former Nittany Lions forward Josh Reed is part of a lawsuit challenging the rule.

According to the NCAA, the new players eligibility clock will begin when they enroll in college or in the academic year after their 19th birthday, whichever happens sooner. Those already in college with eligibility remaining and those who plan to enroll in 2026-27 have the choice to use either the previous rules or the age-based model, based on which is more beneficial to them.

The age-based model will impact Penn State athletes and teams significantly in the future. For example, the Penn State football program could return several impact players in 2027 that would have exhausted their eligibility this season under the former rule.

For Penn State men’s basketball, head coach Mike Rhoades has a better idea of how many years of eligibility his incoming international players could have. The rule change also has prompted some college players, including Reed, to file a lawsuit against the NCAA seeking injunctive relief and allowing them to play a fifth year.

Could Josh Reed return to Penn State?

Penn State Nittany Lions basketball player Josh Reed tries boxing out Rugters' Dylan Grant. | Taj Falconer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Forward Josh Reed started 31 games for the Nittany Lions last season, his fourth and (he expected) final season of eligibility. But Reed is part of a lawsuit challenging one aspect of the age-based model.

According to Pete Nakos of On3, attorneys Ryan Downton and Darren Heitner have filed a lawsuit against the NCAA seeking an injunction on behalf of 15 basketball players from Ohio who just completed their fourth years of eligibility. The lawsuit alleges that the NCAA’s change “violates the covenant of good faith and fair dealing under Ohio law” and seeks to make them eligible for the 2026-27 season.

Players who exhausted their eligibility during the 2025-26 academic year were not granted another year in the age-based model, making them ineligible for next season. However, some Class of 2022 players never redshirted, did not benefit from the COVID exemption and played only four seasons.

That applies to Reed, who started his career at Cincinnati before transferring to Penn State in 2025 for his senior year. Reed never redshirted during his three seasons with the Bearcats, so he just missed out on a fifth year of competition.

Reed, who is from Cincinnati, averaged a career-high 11.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Nittany Lions last season. He would likely be a starter again if he received another year of eligibility and used it with Penn State.

If a court rules in favor of the players, Reed would get an additional year of eligibility, which he could use with Penn State. Once Prkačin and Wibaut sign, the Nittany Lions still have one roster spot open for the 2026-27 season.

But if a court rules in favor of the NCAA’s eligibility rule change, Reed’s collegiate career would be officially over with no chance of a return to the Nittany Lions.

The NCAA’s Division I Cabinet said in a statement via X that it's aware of lawsuits challenging the policy decision but doesn’t plan on changing course. The organization said that giving more eligibility to those players would “destabilize rosters” for next season by “disrupting settled expectations of countless student-athletes regarding their expected roster spots and playing time next year.”

How are Penn State's incoming international players affected?

2-Way Athletic Forward 🫡#WeAre pic.twitter.com/nzuWjxmc63
— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) June 8, 2026

Penn State made four international additions this offseason, signing Serbian forward Aleksandar Zecevic and Filipino guard Andy Gemao and receiving commitments from Croatian forward Roko Prkačin and French wing François Wibaut.

Under the new age-based rules, Prkačin’s eligibility clock started in the 2022-23 season, which gives him one year to spend with the Nittany Lions. Wibaut’s clock began with the 2024-25 season, so he has three seasons of eligibility left.

Meanwhile, Zecevic and Gemao’s eligibility clock both started last year, so they have four years remaining in the age-based model.

It’s unclear how much eligibility each player would have had under the previous rules. It’s also not yet known whether the NCAA’s recent guidance on international players with professional experience could impact the eligibility of Prkačin, Wibaut and Zecevic.

Still, the age-based model provides a basis for how much eligibility Penn State’s international players could have.

How much eligibility do other Penn State players have?

Penn State Nittany Lions forward Ivan Juric dunks the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats at the United Center. | David Banks-Imagn Images

The age-based model won’t impact transfer guards Jay Rodgers, Thomas Allard and Dasonte Bowen, since they are all in their final years of eligibility in 2026-27. It also doesn’t affect wing Brant Byers and guard Reggie Grodin, who have redshirted and have two and four years of eligibility remaining, respectively.

But the rest of Penn State’s roster will have an additional year than they would have had under the previous rules. Most notably, standout center Ivan Jurić now has four years remaining despite starting in 26 games as a freshman last season.

Transfer additions Roberts Blums and Tim Oboh will also have an additional season under the age-based model. As juniors, they each have three years left heading into the 2026-27 season. Walk-ons Chris Lotito and Grant Spacciapolli have four and five years of eligibility remaining, respectively.

With players like Jurić, Blums and Oboh getting one more year than previously expected, Rhoades could have key pieces remain with the program for longer.

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