Quick note on eligibility changes … Just a quick note in response to queries from several correspondents as to why we changed the Year/Eligibility column when we posted our pre-season CB rankings earlier this week. The simple reason is that, as reported earlier this summer, the NCAA has dramatically altered the eligibility structure for college athletes who now will have 5 years of eligibility starting either when they enter college or on their 19th birthday, whichever comes first. And players currently in school will have the opportunity to either stick with the old eligibility regime or switch to the new whichever better serves their interest. What that means, for example, is that 4th year seniors like Oklahoma QB John Mateer, who would have been out of eligibility at the end of the 2026 season, could now be eligible for another year as long as they were still under 24 years of age, while 3rd year juniors like Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, who would would have had one year of eligibility remaining after the upcoming season, will now have two years. And we’ll try to figure where all these guys stand as we go forward this season.
