New report says top international prospects could be ruled ineligible by NCAA

A new report released this week states that top international prospects could be ruled ineligible by the NCAA.

Kevin Sweeney of Sports Illustrated recently obtained a copy of a new guidance document that was distributed by the NCAA on May 8, centered on eligibility requirements regarding player compensation from international teams. In it, the NCAA has laid a foundation that could make it difficult for some of the best players overseas coming to college athletics to participate.

Below is an excerpt from Sweeney’s reporting, which he published on Thursday. Of note, he adds that it is currently unclear how aggressively the NCAA will enforce these rules.

“In part, the guidelines state that prospective student-athletes who ‘entered an agreement with, competed on or received compensation from a team that participates in a league with minimum compensation that exceeds actual and necessary expenses‘ will not have their college eligibility reinstated,” Sweeney wrote. “The document lists MLB, NBA, NFL, Premier League and WNBA as examples of such leagues, but other top basketball leagues globally could also qualify.”

If this new rule is enforced as written, at least half of college basketball's preseason top 25 teams just lost one or more starters.

Dropping it in May, with no replacement options available, makes very little sense. https://t.co/GYdwA4vgxO

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 22, 2026

An NCAA spokesperson who spoke with SI said that the organization has identified several international leagues where a player would lose college eligibility if they particpated in them. The NCAA wants to make sure that college athletics aren’t being used as a “fallback” for professional athletes in other leagues — something that has already become a trend in the last year, leading to it happening on a larger scale this offseason. The NCAA is also considering putting a five-year cap and age requirements on college athletes.

Sweeney listed the likes of Quinn Ellis (St. John’s), Saliou Niang (LSU), Márcio Santos (LSU), and Mantas Rubštavičius (Auburn) as international professionals who recently committed to college programs. Their eligibility could now be in doubt. This could also potentially impact Kentucky basketball. For the upcoming 2026-27 season, the men’s team has signed Ousmane N’Diaye, who was playing professionally in Italy, while the women’s team signed Ajša Sivka, who was playing professionally in Spain.

There are a lot of factors at play here. How big and lucrative the professional league said player is coming over from, and how much that player was compensated, matters. It all sounds like one giant mess, but something to keep an eye on. Click the link below to read Sweeney’s full report.

[Sports Illustrated: New NCAA Eligibility Requirements Could Impact Top International Players]