College Athletes Chasing an Extra Year: The Janae Jackson Case
Professional Basketball Player, with a nine-year hiatus in competition, allegedly joins the Transfer Portal.
Here's an intriguing twist in the world of college sports: an athlete, Janae Jackson, who graduated in 2016, dusted off her basketball shoes and entered the transfer portal, eyeing a potential extra season in the collegiate ranks. Yep, you heard it right - a 32-year-old athlete is preparing for a comeback!
As reported by SB Nation's Mitchell Northam, Jackson submitted her paperwork with Youngstown State to enter the transfer portal. It's been nine years since she last competed, and yet, she's not alone in this pursuit. As the House settlement awaits approval, there's murmur of the NCAA possibly reworking its eligibility rules, allowing players an extra year.
Janae Jackson played basketball at Northern Illinois before transferring to Youngstown State for her senior year of college. Here's the catch: she only actually played three seasons of college ball, due to an injury and transfer rules during her college years. This technicality means she theoretically still has another year of eligibility remaining.
The NCAA currently allows an athlete five years to play four seasons. But with lawsuits piling up and the upcoming House settlement promising changes, Jackson jumped at the chance to put her name in the portal, just in case.
Let's face it, if the NCAA does decide to pass a rule changing eligibility, it wouldn't be surprising to see more athletes like Jackson giving it another shot. After all, why let talent fade away when there's a glimmer of hope?
Of course, we're heading into a future that's overflowing with uncertainties, especially when it comes to roster limits in college athletics. But the real question is, can the NCAA control how many years an athlete can compete at the collegiate level?
The Battle: Eligibility and Control
If the NCAA does indeed decide to relax its eligibility rules, athletes like Janae Jackson could potentially secure an extra year. However, these changes would need to be significant, addressing both academic adjustments and sport-specific roster availability under new limits.
The new DIII eligibility waiver pilot demonstrates the NCAA's growing flexibility, but graduate athletes like Jackson would need specific waivers to contest the rule. There's no direct rule in the proposed House settlement materials that addresses post-graduation eligibility extensions for DI/II athletes.
The ongoing reforms could significantly impact athletes seeking a post-graduation return to competition. Key mechanisms include eligibility extensions, scholarship & roster limit changes, process considerations, and future pathways.
In Janae Jackson's case, her future pathway currently lacks a direct eligibility pathway under the proposed changes unless her sport adopts DIII-style academic flexibility, her institution secures a special waiver, or future NCAA rulings explicitly expand eligibility for graduated athletes.
The House settlement's conditional approval leaves room for additional athlete-friendly reforms, but graduated athletes remain in a policy gray area as of April 2025. Jackson's situation illustrates the uncertainty and potential for a sea-change in college athletics eligibility rules. Stay tuned!
- Although Janae Jackson graduated in 2016 and is 32 years old, she is considering a comeback to college basketball due to potential changes in the NCAA's eligibility rules, allowing players an extra year.
- Jackson's eligibility case is not unique, as more athletes may take advantage of the NCAA's possible rework of eligibility rules following the House settlement.
- For athletes like Janae Jackson to secure an extra year, the NCAA would need to implement significant changes in eligibility rules, addressing both academic adjustments and sport-specific roster availability under new limits.
- Janae Jackson's future pathway back to competition may rely on her sport adopting DIII-style academic flexibility, her institution securing a special waiver, or future NCAA rulings explicitly expanding eligibility for graduated athletes.
