Dozens of former college athletes, including Tamin Lipsey, granted fifth year of eligibility

AMES, Iowa —

A judge in Indiana has granted a preliminary injunction that will allow dozens of former college student-athletes, including former Iowa State basketball star Tamin Lipsey, to play a fifth year.

Lipsey was included as a plaintiff in the suit against the NCAA earlier this month, along with former Iowa State teammate Jackson Paveletzke and nearly 100 other former student-athletes in multiple sports. The suit alleged the NCAA’s new “five to play five” eligibility rules instituted this past summer unfairly excluded student-athletes who began their careers in 2022.

In court documents obtained Wednesday by KCCI, a judge ruled in favor of the former athletes.

“Under NCAA Bylaw 12.6, an NCAA Division I college athlete has five years of eligibility in NCAA sports,” court documents read. “The college athlete’s window—known as an Eligibility Clock—starts to run from the date on which a college athlete registers as a full-time student at any collegiate institution or turns 19 years old. Plaintiffs all remain within the window of their five-year Eligibility Clock for the 2026-27 school year. Under the plain terms of the 2026-27 NCAA Manual, they are eligible to compete and the NCAA is breaching its contractual obligations by denying them that opportunity.”

The NCAA will likely appeal, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel.

In a petition filed Sept. 14, Lipsey claims he “will attend Iowa State University for the 2026-27 season” if granted another year.

Lipsey, an Ames native, is Iowa State’s all-time leader in several statistics, including steals in a career. He started all 137 games across his career as a Cyclone, the most in program history.

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