ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Michigan Wolverines guard Roddy Gayle Jr. was granted a fifth year of college basketball eligibility after a New York judge issued a preliminary injunction allowing the reigning national champion to play while his lawsuit against the NCAA moves forward.
Niagara County Supreme Court Justice Frank A. Sedita III granted Gayle’s request Thursday (Sept. 24), giving the 6’4” guard the opportunity to compete for Michigan during the 2026-27 season.
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The ruling came in Gayle’s hometown of Niagara Falls, New York, and could allow him to begin playing immediately.
Unlike a temporary restraining order, the preliminary injunction will remain in effect while the case proceeds, the ruling said.
The NCAA is expected to appeal.
Gayle is among the first college basketball players seeking additional eligibility under the NCAA’s new eligibility model to receive a favorable ruling in court.
A national champion last season, Gayle sued the NCAA on Aug. 31, arguing that he should be eligible for another season under the association’s newly expanded eligibility system.
The NCAA adopted the new system in June, replacing its traditional four-seasons-in-five-years framework with an age-based model that provides five years of eligibility without limiting the number of seasons an athlete can play during that period.
Gayle’s attorneys argue that the new rule’s language makes him eligible for the 2026-27 season.
They contend the NCAA improperly excluded athletes who graduated high school in 2022, enrolled immediately and played four consecutive seasons.
“The exclusion is the deviation,” the lawsuit states. “Roddy’s inclusion is what the rule’s text requires.”
Gayle graduated from Lewiston-Porter Senior High School in Youngstown, New York, in 2022 and enrolled at Ohio State that fall.
He played two seasons for the Buckeyes before transferring to Michigan, where he played his final two seasons.
In four Division I seasons, Gayle appeared in 146 games and started 72, according to the lawsuit.
He scored 1,288 points and became an important contributor during Michigan’s run to the national championship in April.
Michigan defeated Connecticut 69-63 on April 6 to win the program’s first NCAA men’s basketball championship since 1989.
Gayle averaged 10.3 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks during Michigan’s first four NCAA Tournament games.
Michigan offered Gayle an opportunity to return for the 2026-27 season, according to the lawsuit, but that opportunity was contingent on NCAA eligibility.
The filing said Gayle was already practicing with the team prior to Thursday’s decision.
The lawsuit also addresses Gayle’s participation in two NBA Summer League games with the Detroit Pistons after he went undrafted in June.
His attorneys argue that the summer appearances should not affect his college eligibility because Gayle never signed a professional contract, played in a professional regular-season game, or permanently left college for a professional career.
According to the complaint, Gayle received a $1,700 stipend for his Summer League participation.
His attorneys cited several other athletes who they say were permitted to return to college basketball after playing professionally in Europe or the NBA G League.
They argue that treating Gayle’s summer participation differently would be inconsistent with previous NCAA eligibility decisions.
“Roddy did not fail as a professional,” the complaint says. “He was never a professional in any meaningful sense at all.”
The lawsuit also challenges the NCAA’s treatment of athletes who graduated from high school in 2022.
Gayle’s attorneys argue that athletes who delayed college enrollment or attended preparatory school can qualify under the new rules, while athletes who enrolled immediately after graduating in 2022 and played four consecutive seasons cannot.
The complaint further alleges that the NCAA’s eligibility policies violate contractual obligations to student-athletes.
Gayle’s attorneys argue that the NCAA Constitution and bylaws create contractual obligations and that student-athletes are intended third-party beneficiaries.
The case comes amid separate litigation over the NCAA’s eligibility changes.
On July 31, a federal court in Colorado issued a nationwide preliminary injunction blocking the NCAA from enforcing the class-of-2022 exclusion.
The NCAA appealed, and on Aug. 21, a divided panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals stayed that injunction while the appeal proceeds.
Gayle’s lawsuit argues that the federal litigation, which involves antitrust claims, does not resolve his separate contract claims under New York law.
The lawsuit asks the Niagara County court to prevent the NCAA from enforcing its eligibility rules against Gayle, interfering with Michigan’s decision to allow him to practice and play, or penalizing Michigan for allowing him to compete under a court order.
Gayle also asked the court to block enforcement of the NCAA’s “Rule of Restitution,” which can impose penalties on teams and athletes if competition conducted under a court order is later determined to have violated NCAA eligibility rules.
The timing of the case was significant for Gayle and Michigan.
Michigan lost five-star freshman guard Brandon McCoy Jr. for the 2026-27 season after suffering an ACL injury to his right knee.
--> Michigan basketball 5-star freshman Brandon McCoy Jr. out for 2026-27 season with ACL injury
The Wolverines also signed former Columbia point guard Kenny Noland prior to the season, and he too was deemed eligible for the national champions.
Noland was a second-team All-Ivy League point guard last season, averaging 17.1 points per game, 3.4 rebounds per game, and 3.7 assists per game.
Gayle is scheduled to graduate from Michigan in May 2027, according to the complaint.
The lawsuit does not seek monetary damages. Instead, Gayle is seeking declaratory and injunctive relief that would allow him to remain eligible and compete for Michigan while the case proceeds.
Thursday’s ruling gives the reigning national champions another option at guard and allows Gayle and Noland to continue pursuing another college season while the legal battle with the NCAA continues.
