This photo taken with a fisheye lens shows the NCAA logo displayed at mid-court in Philadelphia, March 21, 2013. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum, File)

2026-08-21T15:20:14Z

DENVER (AP) — A federal appeals court on Friday temporarily halted a court order that would have granted thousands of athletes who left college after last season an extra year of eligibility.

The lawsuit was filed by players who graduated high school in 2022, whose college eligibility ended last season and who were not included in the NCAA’s new rule that grants most players five years of eligibilty, beginning next season.

After winning a ruling in district court, many of those players were trying to figure out how to return to their former schools to play another year.

This ruling, by a 2-1 margin from a panel on the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals n Denver, puts that on hold until the appeal can be heard in total. It could tamp down on the chaos from a series of similar rulings in courts around the country that led to players trying to come back before the start of college football season.