The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit granted a stay in the case of Wisne v. NCAA, temporarily putting on hold an injunction which had allowed student-athletes from the high school class of 2022 to play a fifth collegiate season this year. This ruling means players such as UNC kicker Rece Verhoff and outbound transfer Seth Trimble are no longer eligible for competition in the 2026-27 academic year. The stay is pending appeal.

Both Verhoff and Trimble had exhausted their four-year collegiate eligibility following the 2025-26 academic year. However, after U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney’s ruling in favor of the athletes earlier in August, both made the decision to return to school: Verhoff back to UNC for a second season as a Tar Heel, and Trimble to Louisville after four years in Chapel Hill.

The Tenth Circuit’s stay came with ironic timing for both athletes: Louisville had officially welcomed Trimble to the program earlier Friday morning, while at the same time UNC head coach Bill Belichick was discussing Verhoff during a press conference at the Kenan Football Center.

“We’ll see how the whole thing with Rece plays out,” Belichick said, not knowing the Tenth Circuit ruling. “Whether he actually is in fact able to participate or not. It appears now that there’s certainly a good chance of that, but it hasn’t been resolved definitely. Until it is, then we really have to have a contingency plan for whatever the resolution on that is.”

UNC currently rosters two other kickers: true freshman David Green and LSU transfer Aeron Burrell, who served as a kickoff specialist in two seasons with the Tigers and has not attempted an in-game field goal at the collegiate level. Verhoff is coming off a 2025 season which saw him make 19 of 23 field goal attempts, including a 57-yarder which is the longest in UNC program history.

The Tenth Circuit stay does not affect potential fifth-year players protected by a specific state lawsuit which has either been granted a total restraining order or injunction or is currently pending for one. This includes incoming UNC men’s basketball transfer Cameron Fens, who is protected by a lawsuit in the state of Tennessee. However, in a statement Friday afternoon, the NCAA said it would continue to pursue additional legal avenues in the wake of its victory.

 

Featured image via UNC Athletic Communications/Andy Mead

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