Ohio Executive Order 2026-04D: Fairness for Ohio's NCAA Student-Athletes

EXECUTIVE ORDER 2026-04D

Fairness for Ohio's NCAA Student-Athletes

WHEREAS, student-athletes enrolled in colleges and universities within the State of Ohio deserve to be treated fairly and equitably, and no less favorably than student-athletes in any other state; and

WHEREAS, the National Collegiate Athletic Association ("NCAA") is a private association that acts as a governing and regulatory body for high-level collegiate sports in Ohio and across America; and

WHEREAS, recent changes have been made to eligibility requirements for collegiate sports by the NCAA that uniquely and unfairly impact student-athletes who started college in 2022.

The net result is that these student-athletes are generally, according to the NCAA's interpretation of its manual, not eligible to compete in the 2026-2027 academic year; and

WHEREAS, the NCAA is supporting federal legislation, the Protect College Sports Act, section 113 of which would make the Class of 2022 eligible to compete in the 2026-27 academic year. While that bill has passed the U.S. Senate, it has not passed the U.S. House and thus has not yet been passed into law; and

WHEREAS, athletes in the Class of 2022 across the country have challenged the NCAA's application of its rules to preclude them from competing in 2026-27, and trial courts in multiple states have entered orders allowing them to compete while their claims are adjudicated; and

WHEREAS, Ohio's colleges and universities will compete in the 2026-27 season against institutions whose student-athletes have been permitted to play a fifth year by those orders, while similarly situated student-athletes in Ohio remain unable to compete;

NOW THEREFORE, I, Mike DeWine, Governor of the State of Ohio, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of this State, do hereby order and direct that:

1. No State institution of higher education or private college or university in Ohio shall uphold any rule, requirement, standard, or other limitation that prevents a student-athlete of that institution or college in the Class of 2022 from fully participating in intercollegiate athletics in the 2026-27 academic year, regardless of whether the student-athlete completed four seasons of intercollegiate competition or exhausted eligibility under 2025-26 NCAA regulations or any prior regulations, and regardless of any athletic authority's interpretation or application of applicable NCAA eligibility bylaws, so long as:

(a) The student-athlete was within five years of his or her 19th birthday and five years of enrolling in college as of the start of the 2026-27 academic year;

(b) The student-athlete was eligible, academically and otherwise, at the conclusion of the student-athlete's last season of collegiate competition; and

(c) The student-athlete has not participated as a professional athlete in a professional sports league, including but not limited to the National Football League, National Basketball Association, and Women's National Basketball Association.

2. A State institution of higher education or private college or university in Ohio that permits a student-athlete to practice or compete in accordance with this Order does so at the direction of the State of Ohio and in compliance with the public policy of this State.