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How the NCAA eligibility rule change will impact Georgia football’s roster

The NCAA’s move will eliminate the need for redshirts and injury waivers.
Georgia tight end Lawson Luckie (left) — pictured during the College Football Playoff game against Ole Miss in January — is one of seven Bulldogs who will have an extra year to play in college, should they so choose, under the new "5-in-5." (Jason Getz/AJC 2026)
Georgia tight end Lawson Luckie (left) — pictured during the College Football Playoff game against Ole Miss in January — is one of seven Bulldogs who will have an extra year to play in college, should they so choose, under the new "5-in-5." (Jason Getz/AJC 2026)
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The NCAA will make significant changes to its eligibility rules, the organization announced Tuesday.

While full details will not be released until Wednesday, the NCAA previously announced athletes will have five years to play five seasons of college sports. A player’s eligibility clock will start either five years within full-time enrollment in college or the academic year starting after their 19th birthday, whichever comes first.

This change will eliminate redshirting and have a drastic impact on Georgia football’s roster now and moving forward. Currently enrolled players will be able to opt for either the old or new rules, while 2027 recruits must adhere to the new rules.

Waivers for injury will be a thing of the past as well, as the only exceptions would be for religious missions, maternity leave and military service.

Georgia has seven players on its 2026 roster who were entering their final year of eligibility. Those listed below will have an extra year to play in college, should they so choose.

Dowdell and Barnes transferred this offseason from Kentucky and Clemson, respectively. Luckie, Humphreys, Harris, Wilson and Woodring are all 2023 recruits who have not used their redshirt seasons.

Players such as Gunner Stockton and Earnest Greene will still exhaust their eligibility after this season, as it will be their fifth year in college.

Because of NFL rules, players have to be three years removed from high school to enter the NFL draft. That rule has not changed. Players such as Luckie, Harris and Wilson all bypassed the 2026 NFL draft to return to Georgia for their senior seasons. Now they have an additional year of eligibility.

The seven players listed above aren’t the only ones on the Georgia roster who will gain an extra season of collegiate eligibility. Below is a list of every Georgia player who hasn’t used a redshirt yet and could now have a fifth season of eligibility.

Players who exhausted their eligibility before the spring of 2026 will have to adhere to the old rules, meaning they won’t get a potential fifth season of eligibility.

Georgia coach Kirby Smart previously came out in support of the NCAA’s proposed “5-in-5″ rule.

“I am an advocate of high school kids getting an opportunity to go to college and play, and we’re losing seats and space because of the lawsuit (House v. NCAA),” Smart said at the SEC’s spring meetings. “We were reduced. So I go into these high schools, and teams went from 130 to 105, and everybody goes from 130 to 105, the math is 25 per program. That’s a ton of seats that were lost, and now we’re losing more because kids are staying longer than five years.

“It really started with the COVID deal, so I would start with, just don’t take opportunities away from people because it’s going to ruin the game.”

Georgia opens the 2026 season at home Sept. 5 against Tennessee State.