Eligibility Fight: NCAA Ruling Hangers Over College Basketball Roster

ESPN’s new top 100 ranking for the 2026-27 men’s college basketball season lists players whose eligibility is currently in dispute. The list includes athletes who graduated high school in 2022, a group excluded from play by the NCAA’s recent five-in-five rule change. The publication counts these players as eligible for a fifth season, citing ongoing legal uncertainty. If courts or the NCAA decide otherwise, the ranking will change.

The legal conflict centers on a specific ruling in Ohio. The state governor issued an executive order granting a fifth year of eligibility to all class of 2022 athletes in the state. The NCAA recently sued the governor over that order. Players like MJ Collins Jr. of Cincinnati are awaiting the outcome of that high-profile battle. Collins averaged 17.5 points per game at Utah State and earned All-Mountain West second-team honors last season. He is considered a cornerstone for head coach Jerrod Calhoun in his first year in Cincinnati.

Several other players on the list face the same legal hurdle. Denzel Aberdeen of Florida is fighting for a fifth year to start as the shooting guard for the preseason No. 1 team. Aberdeen averaged 13.5 points and 3.4 assists last season while at Kentucky. Melvin Council Jr. of Kansas also seeks a fifth year. He averaged 12.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.1 assists last season, including a 36-point game against NC State. Donovan Atwell of Texas Tech is another five-for-five hopeful. He shot nearly 46 percent from deep and made more than eight three-point attempts per game last season.

Beyond the eligibility fights, the list features a deep class of incoming freshmen and established returners. Cameron Williams enters Duke as a top-five recruit. He is a 6-foot-11 forward with high-level shooting ability. The Duke roster also includes Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and transfer Drew Scharnowski. Williams may not have a huge impact in his first year given that depth, but he possesses the tools to become an NBA player quickly.

Veteran presence defines several rosters. Trent Perry of UCLA is listed as the most important player on his team. He averaged 12.6 points and shot 42 percent from three in Big Ten action last season. Jacob Cofie of USC provides a veteran anchor for a young group. He averaged 9.9 points and 6.8 rebounds last season and allowed opponents to shoot only 38.2 percent around the rim, according to Synergy Sports data.

The list also highlights players recovering from injury or adjusting to new environments. Killyan Toure of Iowa State is expected to return in January after offseason shoulder surgery. He averaged 8.6 points as a freshman. Mackenzie Mgbako of Texas A&M missed the start of the 2025-26 season due to foot surgery and later refractured his right foot. At his best, his 6-foot-9 size and three-level scoring make him a difficult matchup. John Mobley Jr. of Ohio State is positioned for a scoring jump after posting 15.7 points per game last season. He scored at least 22 points in four separate games during a January stretch.

The rankings span from Miles Sadler at West Virginia to a mix of guards and forwards across major conferences. The list acknowledges the unusual nature of this preseason. It reflects a talent pool where legal outcomes and medical recoveries directly impact team rosters. The publication notes that adjustments will be made if legal developments change the eligibility status of the players currently listed.