Ohio Order Allows Fifth Year of Eligibility for 2022 High School Graduates

Harlingen Weslaco Brownsville McAllen, TX, October 13, 2026 —

Ohio’s governor has signed an executive order permitting state colleges and universities to grant a fifth year of eligibility to student-athletes who graduated from high school in 2022. The order is described as overriding NCAA eligibility regulations.

The measure concerns athletes from a specific graduating class and gives Ohio’s public higher education institutions permission to award the additional year. The information provided does not specify whether every eligible athlete will receive a fifth year or whether individual colleges and universities will decide whether to grant it.

Details about how the order will be implemented were not provided. The governor’s name, the date the order was signed, its text, and any explanation of the decision were also not included in the available information. No estimate was provided of how many athletes or institutions could be affected.

The summary does not describe the NCAA regulations involved or explain how the state order will interact with them in practice. It also does not provide information about any response from the NCAA, colleges, athletes or other organizations. As a result, the scope and practical effects of the order beyond its stated eligibility provision remain unclear.

Based on the information available, the central change is that Ohio state colleges and universities may grant an additional year of eligibility to student-athletes who finished high school in 2022, despite NCAA eligibility rules. Further details about eligibility decisions, timing and implementation were not provided.

Story summarized from the original created by EDDIE PELLS and ALANIS THAMES, Associated Press on www.valleycentral.com, see more information here.

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