Why Jalen Washington is still eligible for Tennessee basketball despite new court ruling

Tennessee basketball's latest addition via the transfer portal was unconventional. It's unusual a player of Jalen Washington's caliber can be added to a roster in August, but by winning an additional year of eligibility via the courts, he bolstered Rick Barnes' team.

Many athletes from the same high school recruiting class as Washington had been counting on a blanket ruling in the U.S. District Court in Colorado to grant them an extra year of college eligibility, but new developments in the case cast doubt on whether they can play this coming season.

The United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit granted a stay in that class-action lawsuit in Colorado on Aug. 21. Class of 2022 athletes who had been granted a fifth year of eligibility via the temporary injunction handed down by Judge Charlotte Sweeney on July 31 are now ineligible. But Washington's case is different and his eligibility for UT is still protected. Here's how.

The new "5 in 5" rule allows athletes to play up to five seasons over five years starting from their college enrollment or 19th birthday, whichever comes first. College athletes who began their careers in 2022, like Washington, hadn't been covered by that rule, leading to a rush of lawsuits against the NCAA this spring and summer.

The Tenth Circuit Court's decision to stay the case in Colorado removes federal protection for class of 2022 athletes who would have been able to play a fifth season of college sports under Judge Sweeney's temporary injunction, which applied nationwide. But the stay does not override rulings in state courts.

Since Washington had been granted a temporary injunction in Tennessee state court last month, his eligibility is not affected by the stay. He will essentially be grandfathered into the age based eligibility rule.

Washington filed his lawsuit against the NCAA alongside 16 other college basketball players from Tennessee on July 6 and had been granted a temporary injunction on July 31. Plaintiffs who filed similar lawsuits in Georgia, Kentucky and Ohio have also been granted temporary injunctions. Washington committed to UT on Aug. 3, the first day of a special court-ordered transfer portal window.

Athletes in the 2022 class who hadn't signed pro contracts had been enjoined by the initial ruling in Colorado. But now that the case has been stayed, athletes who wish to play college sports this season will have to file their own lawsuits in state courts and land a temporary injunction like Washington's.

UT completely remade its roster this offseason, adding nine new transfers, including Washington. Their transfer haul was considered one of the best in the country, the second-best in the sport according to 247Sports, but it was guard-heavy.

Juke Harris, Terrance Hill Jr., Dai Dai Ames and Jalen Haralson were stars on their previous teams and will be the leaders of this year's squad. Meanwhile, the Vols filled out the frontcourt with veteran role players Christian Fermin and Myles Rubin, alongside sophomore DeWayne Brown II.

Washington, who enjoyed a career-best season at Vanderbilt last season, is now the likely option to start at center for UT this coming season.

After transferring from North Carolina, Washington played some of his best basketball for Vanderbilt during the 2025-26 season. He averaged career-highs in points (8.9), rebounds (5.6) and blocks (1.3) per game while shooting 61.8% from 2-point range.

Washington faced the Vols three times in his lone season with the Commodores, averaging 7.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks across those three matchups. He tied a season-high with 10 rebounds and set a new season high with six blocks in a 69-65 loss to Tennessee at Memorial Gymnasium on Feb. 21.

Stephen Thompson covers Tennessee Volunteers men's basketball. Email him at stephen.thompson@knoxnews.com and follow him on X @stephenethom.

This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Why Jalen Washington is still eligible for Tennessee basketball despite new court ruling