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SALT LAKE CITY — The NCAA reached an agreement Friday that would pave the way for athletes to play immediately for the rest of the season.
Ohio attorney general Dave Yost revealed Friday that the NCAA had agreed to terms with the group of states that would prevent the association from retaliating against players who play during a temporary restraining order filed against the organization by U.S. District Judge John Preston Bailey in the northern district of West Virginia.
The ruling, which was part of a lawsuit by a coalition of seven states, said athletes who previously were denied the chance to play immediately after transferring a second time could compete in games for 14 days, or until a second hearing on the motion scheduled for Dec. 27, according to the Associated Press.
The NCAA circulated a memo to member schools stating that the redshirt rule for athletes' "year in residence," as the one-year suspension is referred, would still apply if the court's decision were to be reversed. In other words, basketball players who competed during the two-week window — such as UNLV's Keylan Boone, the former Oklahoma State and Pacific transfer who had 10 points and six rebounds Wednesday in the Runnin' Rebels' 79-64 upset win over No. 8 Creighton at the Jack Jones Classic — would be required to use a year of eligibility, even if the court's decision was reversed after Dec. 27.
That prompted the states to file a resolution, which Yost announced Friday morning, to extend the temporary restraining order until the end of spring sports — a resolution which was agreed jointly Friday afternoon, Yost said.
"This is a huge win for athletes, for the fans, and for the rule of law," Yost said via X, formerly Twitter.
This is a huge win for the athletes, for the fans, and for the rule of law.
— Attorney General Dave Yost (@DaveYostOH) December 15, 2023
The NCAA confirmed the agreement through the end of the 2023-24 NCAA championship season, which must be approved by a federal court, in a statement calling the court's initial decision "unprecedented."
"This is the best outcome for multiple-time transfer student-athletes wishing to compete immediately," the statement read, in part. "This action provides clarity for student-athletes and member schools for the remainder of the academic year — any multiple-time transfer student-athlete who competes this season will be subject to the same eligibility and use of a season of competition rules as all other student-athletes."
The new ruling would apply to Utah transfer Deivon Smith, who had previously played at Georgia Tech and Mississippi State, and BYU four-star freshman Marcus Adams Jr., who reclassified to the Class of 2024 before signing with Kansas and Gonzaga prior to enrolling in Provo in time for the fall semester.
The initial decision was met with "conservative" skepticism by BYU, head coach Mark Pope said Wednesday night after the Cougars' 90-74 win over Denver in which Adams did not play.
Similarly, Smith was hesitant to jump into immediate playing time for the Utes, who host in-state foe Utah Valley Saturday, if it would cost him a year of eligibility, head coach Craig Smith said.
"It's easy to think short term, but you've still got to think long term on this thing, and there's a lot to think about," the coach told reporters Thursday afternoon. "It's amazing how much this has changed in the last 36 hours. So, yeah, there's a lot to think about."
Deivon Smith had his initial request for eligibility denied by the NCAA, though his party has appealed the decision. Adams is still awaiting a decision on his case, Pope and his assistants have said several times over the past few months.
Complicating the matter for the former top-50 recruit nationally by ESPN and 247Sports was a foot/ankle injury that slowed the 6-foot-8 wing's progress while awaiting the decision. But Pope said Adams went through a "full shootaround" for the first time Wednesday morning before the game, making him potentially closer to available Saturday when the 9-1 Cougars host Georgia State at the Marriott Center.
"We'll see," Pope said. "We'll know more in the next few days."
Deivon Smith, too, had been injured to start the season, but has been participating with the team the last few weeks in preparation for if his waiver was accepted. Though, Utah has not officially confirmed if Smith will play Saturday since the recent agreement, Craig Smith said the transfer guard was part of the team's game plan.
