Student-athletes across the country are currently embroiled in an eligibility fight against the NCAA. The athletes, who graduated high school in 2022, are seeking a fifth year of eligibility under the NCAA’s new rules. However, the NCAA is countering that the rule only applies to students currently in college from the 2026-27 academic year forward.

Several Tar Heels are caught up in this eligibility fight. The guide below will be updated as to whether or not they are eligible.

YES — Rece Verhoff (football), Ryleigh Heck (field hockey), Dani Mendez (field hockey) and Sietske Brüning (field hockey)

Image via UNC Athletic Communications/Andy Mead

Verhoff, Heck, Mendez and Brüning are currently attached to a lawsuit against the NCAA in Monroe County Circuit Court in Indiana. The quartet joined the case Sep. 14, a week and a half after it was originally filed. They are joined by dozens of others from across the country, growing the suit exponentially from its original roster of eight student-athletes. The athletes won a victory Wednesday, Sep. 23, as Judge Kara Krothe issued a preliminary injunction which will remain in effect “until trial of this case.”

NO — Cameron Fens (men’s basketball)

Image via South Dakota Athletics/Hailey Price

Fens transferred to UNC during the offseason from South Dakota under the impression that he would be eligible to play. So far, that hasn’t come to pass yet. Fens is attached to a lawsuit in the Tennessee Court of Appeals, but the court issued an order in August staying an injunction granted to the student-athlete plaintiffs. The case, which includes former UNC player Jalen Washington, is pending appeal.

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