On July 31 a federal judge temporarily granted another season of NCAA eligibility to athletes from the high school Class of 2022 who exhausted four seasons of competition by the end of the 2025-26 season.
The preliminary injunction requires the NCAA to declare those athletes eligible while a legal challenge to the NCAA’s five-year eligibility rule moves forward. The ruling is temporary and is not a final decision in the case, but for the time being, athletes who graduated high school in 2022 (aka most of last season’s seniors) can entertain the idea of coming back for an encore season.
Our Thoughts
Realistically, we don’t see many athletes seriously considering a fifth year this late in the process. By the end of summer, most have already solidified their plans for the future. Many have moved away from campus, started jobs, and likely stepped away from training altogether.
That’s not to say a late comeback is impossible — we’ve seen it happen before. However, the uncertainty of creating a new academic plan after believing your college career was over, on top of needing to secure housing, can turn the decision into a logistical nightmare.
That’s not even mentioning the uncertainty of whether this ruling is even going to stick. As of now, athletes from the high school class of 2022 are eligible to compete under the federal court order. However, that eligibility could change if the injunction is paused or overturned on appeal, or if the court ultimately rules in the NCAA’s favor. It’s impossible for anyone to know how this situation will play out and we just don’t know how many athletes would be willing to uproot their life when there’s so much uncertainty.
The perfect candidate for a last minute 5th year would be those athletes that are still finishing up grad school or who are currently living on or near their college campus. The team would also need to have room on its roster for an athlete to join this late in the summer, as these athletes are not eligible to transfer.
A few athletes who come to mind:
eMjae Frazier (Florida) – eMjae has previously mentioned wishing she had an extra year of eligibility and has seemed excited on social media since this announcement was made. Florida is also one of the few top programs that we believe has room on its roster, given the number of deferments the team has had. Since eMjae only spent one season as a Gator, we could see her wanting another opportunity to compete while finishing her master’s program in Gainesville.
Selena Harris (Florida) – Selena is another athlete who appears to be excited about the possibility of a fifth year, and she didn’t hesitate to let fans know she’s still in Gainesville! Selena is such a fierce competitor that, academics aside, we could see her returning simply for the love of the sport and for another opportunity to help the Gators reach the top of the NCAA podium.
Makenna Smith (Utah) – It’s no secret that Utah had a disappointing end to its 2026 season, and it certainly wasn’t the note Makenna wanted to end her career on. Utah has room on its roster and plenty of lineup holes that Makenna could easily help fill and soften the blow. She was also accepted into a master’s program at Utah, so she’ll be around campus regardless of what comes from the ruling.
Nikki Smith (MSU) – Nikki Smith is arguably the greatest gymnast in Michigan State’s history. The team has lost a lot, not only in terms of lineups but also in stability and continuity, with two new coaches joining the staff and several athletes transferring. Having an athlete with Nikki’s level of experience, confidence, and pride in MSU could be invaluable — not only for team morale but also for lineups. Nikki recently accepted a coaching position at her club gym, Eurostars, which is only an hour away from Michigan State’s campus. If she has any interest in returning to school, there may not be a better time than right now.
Morgan Price (Arkansas) – This one is maybe less realistic, given that Morgan has graduated and is now focused on running her camp, Bound By Balance, but selfishly, we’d love to see her compete one more year in the SEC! She was such an asset to the Razorbacks last season, and we can only imagine the things she could personally accomplish, as well as what she could help her team achieve, with one more year. In our interview with Morgan back in March, she said, “I’m not ready at all [to be done]. I always say I would do gymnastics until I couldn’t anymore.” Never say never!
Faith Torrez (Oklahoma) – Faith Torrez appears to still be in Oklahoma and the Sooners would take her back in a heartbeat. If anybody can come back after not training all summer, it would be Faith. Remember, she didn’t compete floor all season (or train it until two weeks before nationals), and only did five vaults, but then won the all-around title at the NCAA Championships. This opportunity has Faith’s name written all over it!
Athletes who would not be eligible for a fifth year (from our understanding) include athletes like Jordan Chiles and Riley McCusker, who, despite wrapping up their four years of eligibility last season, did not graduate high school in 2022. So while fans would love nothing more than to see Riley and Jordan return to competition, we’ll have to wait for announcements regarding potential elite comebacks.