Division II Punts on Proposal for Five Years of Eligibility

January 16th, 2026 6:00am

By Chuck Bitner, D2Football.com

In a vote that occurred Friday morning at the NCAA convention near Baltimore, Division II membership voted to approve a motion to refer proposal no. 2026-6 back to the executive board for further evaluation. Had the motion been defeated, members would have voted today on Proposal 2026-6 to allow a fifth year of eligibility, starting this coming fall. The motion to refer back to the board passed by a count of 186 votes for yes to 117 votes for no. 

If voted on and approved, Proposal 2026-6 would have allowed a student-athlete to participate in up to five seasons of intercollegiate competition in a sport during their first 10 semesters of full-time enrollment. Additionally, the current exceptions and waivers for use of a season of competition will be eliminated. 

This proposal applies to NCAA Division II only. 

The statement from NCAA Division II regarding to vote reads as follows: 

"The NCAA Division II Executive Board recommended that NCAA Division II Proposal No. 2026-6 be referred to the executive board for further review and discussion with the expectation that the board report back to Division II membership on this referall in time for sponsorship of legislation for the 2028 NCAA conventiton."

Cutting through the bureaucratic language, the membership wants more time to assess the impact of the proposal and are kicking the can down the road for two years.