Update on the NCAA’s fifth-year proposal and how it could impact Kentucky

Mar 22, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard Otega Oweh (00) dunks during the second half against the Iowa State Cyclones during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images

If you are 100% certain we have seen the last of Otega Oweh in a Kentucky uniform, what if I told you that maybe we haven’t?

While the chances of Oweh returning don’t feel or seem great, it is possible. That’s because of the NCAA’s pending fifth-year NCAA eligibility proposal, “which would allow athletes to have five years of eligibility from the time of their 19th birthday or high school graduation, whichever is earlier, and eliminates the ability for a player to redshirt or file a waiver.”

This seems fair… right? Then again, this is the NCAA. If you fear that this will get complicated, your fears are justified.

As Ross Dellinger points out, a sticking point is grandfathering in athletes.

“This is especially important for those players having recently completed or are completing their fourth season who (1) have not taken a redshirt and (2) who fall within the proposed concept’s 5-year window,” Dellenger wrote at On3.

Dellinger goes on to mention that “those athletes who are completing or have completed this year their fourth season of eligibility within a four-year window would theoretically be eligible for a fifth season under the concept. This all assumes that the concept is formally adopted — and that might not happen until the summer, if it happens at all.”