A Kentucky Court of Appeals dissolved Friday a temporary injunction protecting Louisville guard Seth Trimble’s fifth-year eligibility, according to CBS Sports. The ruling also affects Missouri’s Mark Mitchell, LSU’s Skyy Clark, and four other basketball and football players seeking to play in 2026-27 while their NCAA eligibility cases proceed.
Without the injunction, Trimble and the other affected players must find a new legal strategy to secure eligibility while the Kentucky case continues through the court system.
What happened in the Kentucky case
The injunction had granted Trimble and other plaintiffs temporary permission to compete despite exhausting eligibility under the NCAA’s previous four-season model. When the NCAA adopted an age-based eligibility system in June, granting players five years going forward, a wave of lawsuits followed from players seeking to be covered by the new rule for 2026-27, per Fox Sports.
Friday’s ruling reversed that protection.
The decision, along with a separate ruling in Ohio affecting Cincinnati’s MJ Collins, leaves multiple players without confirmed eligibility “at least for now.” Players named in the Kentucky case are now expected to pursue individual lawsuits in their home states.s previous four-season model. The NCAA adopted an age-based eligibility system in June that grants players five years of eligibility going forward, which triggered a wave of lawsuits from players, including Trimble, seeking to be covered by the new rule for the 2026-27 season, according to CBS Sports.
Friday’s appellate ruling reversed that temporary protection. Fox Sports reported that the Kentucky decision, paired with a separate ruling in Ohio affecting Cincinnati’s MJ Collins, left multiple players without confirmed eligibility for the season “at least for now.” Mitchell and other fifth-year players are pursuing separate legal strategies.
Trimble transferred to Louisville this offseason after four seasons at North Carolina, per Fox Sports.
Seth Trimble’s next legal step
Trimble and other basketball players in the case are expected to file individual lawsuits in their home states to secure eligibility before the season starts. The Kentucky case remains open and will continue moving through the court system.
Reporting from CBS Sports and FOX Sports contributed to this story.
