Wisconsin kicker Nathanial Vakos (90) attempts a field goal against LSU during the first half of the 2024 ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium.

In another quest to dismantle the traditional rules of college sports, a group of football players is asking a federal judge for a preliminary injunction that would allow them to play a fifth season of college football in 2026, one year more than is allowed under NCAA rules.

This request will be considered by a federal judge at a court hearing in Nashville, Tennessee, on Dec. 15. If granted, it would affect five players only, for now. But their underlying class-action case filed in September seeks to give college athletes a fifth year of eligibility by challenging the NCAA’s longtime rules on “redshirt” seasons and its four-year limit on eligibility.

Attorneys for the players filed their motion for a preliminary injunction on Monday night.

“Each is on the cusp of losing his final year of NCAA Division I competition— an opportunity that, once denied, cannot be recreated,” said the players' court filing, obtained by USA TODAY Sports. “The injury extends beyond lost playing time to lost NIL compensation, diminished professional prospects, and irreversible damage to their academic opportunities, athletic development, and reputation.”

Who are the players seeking this preliminary injunction?

Vanderbilt senior linebacker Langston Patterson, Wisconsin senior long snapper Nick Levy, Wisconsin senior kicker Nathanial Vakos, Nebraska senior long snapper Kevin Gallic and Wisconsin senior tight end Lance Mason are seeking another year of eligibility through this motion for a preliminary injunction.

“The motion is narrowly focused,” plantiffs attorney JoAnna Adkisson told USA TODAY Sports. “It applies only to the five class representatives for the Division I FBS football class. If granted, the injunction would simply prevent the NCAA from enforcing its four-seasons limitation against these players, allowing them to enter the January transfer portal and participate in the 2026-27 football season. It would not automatically extend to all NCAA athletes or to other sports, though the underlying case challenges the legality of the rules more broadly.”

The underlying broader case would continue in the meantime.

How could filing impact college sports eligibility rules?

If their motion succeeds, it could signal the next big change in college sports after a wave of lawsuits already have transformed the old NCAA way of doing business.

The lawsuits generally challenged the NCAA on antitrust grounds, arguing that the organization’s rules unfairly restrict players from earning money. Such legal challenges have led to revenue-sharing with players and unlimited annual transfers. In this case, the lawsuit seeks to give athletes a fifth year of playing eligibility instead of being limited to four seasons in five years.

The NCAA has not yet filed a response in the case and didn’t immediately respond to a request for information on the possibility of changing its eligibility limits. To fend off the litigation, it could agree to a rule change allowing five years of eligibility.

“The NCAA may point to pending legislative proposals as grounds for delay, but such proposals carry no legal force,” the players’ new court filing states.

Judge previously ruled in Diego Pavia case

U.S. District Judge William Campbell is scheduled to hold a hearing on the matter Dec. 15. The same judge last year granted a preliminary injunction in favor of Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, who had challenged other NCAA eligibility rules pertaining to junior college transfers. The injunction gave Pavia, a former player at New Mexico Military Institute, another season of eligibility this year while his underlying case remains pending.

Such preliminary injunction rulings signal that a judge believes the plaintiffs’ case has merit and that the plaintiffs would suffer irreparable harm if not granted quick relief while the underlying case proceeds.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Five college football players seek injunction against NCAA's four-year eligibility limit.

Reporting by Brent Schrotenboer, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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