NCAA recommends athletes to be granted extra year of eligibility

The NCAA Division I council announced on Wednesday that it was recommending all college athletes be granted an extra year of eligibility regardless of competition during the fall sports season

When Jake Bentley committed to the University of Utah, he envisioned himself getting to know his new teammates throughout the spring, battle for the starting job during the summer and emerge under center for the first snap of the 2020 season in September.

The former South Carolina quarterback was ready for change, and Utah was the perfect place for that.

“It’s a little different, but that’s one of the reasons why I wanted to come here. With coach (Andy) Ludwig and how prolific his offenses have been in the past and just the preparation for the next level … I wanted something different,” Bentley said. “I’ve been in the Southeast my whole life. I just kind of wanted to come experience a different culture, a different environment. I told coach (Kyle) Whittingham when I came here that I wanted to grow as a person and as a football player. ... And I really thought Utah was the best place for that.”

Unfortunately the COVID-19 pandemic happened, and the Pac-12 announced on Aug. 11 that it was canceling/postponing fall sports with no athletic competition set to take place the rest of the calendar year.

“The health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes and all those connected to Pac-12 sports has been our number one priority since the start of this current crisis,” Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said in a statement. “Our student-athletes, fans, staff and all those who love college sports would like to have seen the season played this calendar year as originally planned, and we know how disappointing this is.”

“All of the Pac-12 presidents and chancellors understand the importance of this decision, and the disappointment it will create for our student-athletes, the coaches, support staff and all of our fans,” added Michael H. Schill, president of the University of Oregon. “Ultimately, our decision was guided by science and a deep commitment to the health and welfare of student-athletes. We certainly hope that the Pac-12 will be able to return to competition in the New Year.”

Bentley's goal of suiting up for the the Utes this fall vanished with the conference's decision — and with the spring season still uncertain, Bentley's college career could officially be over.

But the NCAA Division I council announced on Wednesday that it was recommending that every fall sports season athlete be granted an extra year of eligibility, REGARDLESS of the amount of competition they compete in during the fall. 

Basically, this is a free season for fall athletes and will not count as a season of eligibility. Typically under NCAA rules, four or more football games played counts as a season of eligibility.

The decision isn't final as of yet, as the Board of Governors (the NCAA's governing body) still have to approve of the Council's recommendation.

For the fall sports season, Utah participates in football, women's soccer, women's volleyball and women's cross country, all sports in which the athletes could potentially get the extra year of eligibility. As of now, there is hope to play a winter or spring football season, but no chance to make up the lost season for the other sports.

As of right now, Utah currently has 17 seniors listed on its roster, headlined by Bentley and projected starters in defensive end Maxs Tupai and center Orlando Umana. While it's undetermined as to whether or not there will be a season, those 17 players will have a decision to make come next fall when the 2021 season comes around

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