[terry]

McGillicuddy missed three seasons with injuries, and is about to start playing his third. Does that mean he has a year of eligibility beyond this one?

There are two separate eligibility limits -- 4 seasons of competition, and 5 calendar years after enrollment. The shorthand formulation is "5 years to play 4." Even if the player hasn\'t used his 4 seasons of competition, the general rule is that a player\'s eligibility is done after 5 calendar years. (The 5-year rule is subject to some exceptions -- for example, time spent on a church mission or military service doesn\'t count against the 5 years.)

When a player misses more than one season for reasons beyond his control (usually injury), a player can petition for a waiver of the 5-year rule. That\'s how McGillicuddy got his 6th year. The NCAA rules do not say the waiver is limited to one year. But I\'ve never heard of a case in which a player got a 7th year. I really doubt that the NCAA would grant a 7th year, but I don\'t really know.

[terry]

McGillicuddy missed three seasons with injuries, and is about to start playing his third. Does that mean he has a year of eligibility beyond this one?

There are two separate eligibility limits -- 4 seasons of competition, and 5 calendar years after enrollment. The shorthand formulation is "5 years to play 4." Even if the player hasn\'t used his 4 seasons of competition, the general rule is that a player\'s eligibility is done after 5 calendar years. (The 5-year rule is subject to some exceptions -- for example, time spent on a church mission or military service doesn\'t count against the 5 years.)

When a player misses more than one season for reasons beyond his control (usually injury), a player can petition for a waiver of the 5-year rule. That\'s how McGillicuddy got his 6th year. The NCAA rules do not say the waiver is limited to one year. But I\'ve never heard of a case in which a player got a 7th year. I really doubt that the NCAA would grant a 7th year, but I don\'t really know.