Just over a week ago, the NCAA Division I Cabinet unanimously voted to approve an age-based eligibility model. While the ruling hasn’t gone official, all signs are pointing to this taking effect starting with the class of 2027. Per the NCAA, two aspects can trigger the start of an athlete’s five-year window:

Initial full-time college enrollment: The academic term when the student-athlete first enrolls full-time and attends class at any college or university, including a domestic institution, international institution, or junior college.

Age-based trigger: The start of the regular academic year immediately following the student-athlete’s 19th birthday, if the student-athlete turns 19 years old before Sept. 1. For an individual who turns 19 years old on or after Sept. 1, the period of eligibility begins at the start of the subsequent academic year, unless the individual enrolls full-time in college earlier.

Military service, religious missions, or similar service commitments are excluded from the five-year window. This means Utah’s LDS players who opt to serve a mission won’t have their eligibility affected.

For those currently on the Utah football roster, they may either abide by the new rule or the previous old rule, whichever benefits them the most. But the 20 players that have committed to Utah this summer will fall under the new five-for-five rule.

After scouring the Utah football roster, some Utes could benefit from this new rule, while for some, it might be seen as a negative.

Two winners for Utah under the new rule:

OG Solatoa Moea’i

Moea’i never redshirted while at Utah, he started playing in 2023 once he got home from his church mission. In fact, he has played in every single game for the Utes since that 2023 season. This season, he is projected to be a full-time starter after waiting for his chance. Under the old rule, this would be his final season, but with this new rule, if he wanted to, Moea’i could come back for the 2027 season. That might be a smart move. Zereoue Williams, Alex Harrison, and Keith Olson have all exhausted their eligibility, no matter which path they take. And all three of those players are expected to start this fall as well. If Moea’i does elect to take that fifth year, that will bring some more added stability to the line for the 2027 season. Utah won’t be in the same place as they are right now, having to replace all five starters.

LB Trey Reynolds

Reynolds is another player who never had the chance to redshirt, but it might actually help him in the long run. After playing in the 2021 season, Reynolds opted to serve his LDS Church mission. He returned for the 2024 season, played in all 12 games as a reserve backer and on special teams. Last year, Reynolds played in all 13 games and started in four of them. This season, Reynolds is expected to start alongside Johnathan Hall. We will see how Reynolds performs this season, but he now has an extra year to work with if he wants to run it back in 2027.

One ‘loser’ for Utah under the new rule:

DT Lucas Samsula

‘Loser’ is a very loose term we will use, as the NCAA stated that players who were already enrolled in school could abide by whichever rule benefits them the most. But if this ruling stated that all players had to abide by the new rule, defensive tackle Lucas Samsula would be the biggest loser on the roster.

Samsula is listed as a redshirt sophomore on the current Utah roster. Here’s how he got here:

2023- redshirt freshman at Wyoming

2024- medical redshirt, missed the entire season.

2025- first full season, played in all 12 games for the Cowboys

Under the new rule, Samsula would have just 2026 and 2027 to play. But under the old rule, he would get at least three more seasons due to his redshirts. Now we don’t know which path Samsula will take, but just for the sake of argument, let’s say that after 2027, he is a fringe draft pick, teams want to see a little bit more from him before drafting him. If he opts to stay aligned with the old rules, he could come back for the 2028 season and could improve his stock. That extra year could completely alter the course of Samsula’s career.

His eligibility swing is probably the most drastic on Utah’s 2026 roster. Most of the other players have a pretty cut-and-dry path.

One could go either way player for Utah:

QB Devon Dampier

Dampier would also gain an extra year of eligibility under the new rule. This could be seen as a positive or a negative, depending on who you talk to. On the positive side, if 2026 goes well and Dampier’s NFL stock needs some added work, the Utes will have a super senior QB at the helm who has a deep understanding of the offensive scheme. But on the negative side, what would that mean for Byrd Ficklin? He opted to stay at Utah for the 2026 season, even if it meant backing up Dampier once again. Would the Oklahoma native be willing to do that for another year if Dampier took that fifth year? Would it be worth it for one more year of Dampier if it meant losing Ficklin? Who knows, but Dampier’s eligibility could change the trajectory of Utah football for multiple years.