Louisville football: Players could receive an extra year of eligibility

How Louisville football could benefit from NCAA decision.

For Louisville football players, there may be an opportunity in 2020 and beyond to have their cake and eat it too.

After two major conferences postponed fall sports until at least January and other conferences were forced to cancel non-revenue sports this fall, things have been up in the air in regards to how to deal with NCAA eligibility.

That changed when the NCAA Student Council met on Wednesday and voted to give all athletes in fall sports an extra year.

"“Sources: The NCAA Division I Council decided today that fall sport student-athletes can compete in any amount of competitions this year and it will not count as a season of eligibility,” Yahoo’s Pete Thamel tweeted. “This still needs to be approved by NCAA Board of Governors on Friday.”"

Ultimately, it will be up to the powers that be in the NCAA to make a final decision Friday. However, if this passes, this could be massive news for college students.

For Louisville football players, this could be a huge deal going forward.

While some players are going to depart regardless of elligibility due to their skill set on the field, the majority of Cardinals could be looking at a fifth or sixth year of playing.

Of course these measures are being taken to make sure that there is a fall-back option for NCAA student-athletes who don’t get to compete for a full season. However, a few Cardinals come to mind as potential benefactors.

For instance, what if Louisville fifth-year seniors like Dez Fitzpatrick or Robbie Bell get to play an entire 2020 season and then turn around and do it for a sixth year?

What if tight end Ean Pfeifer– who was just granted a sixth year- could be eligible to play a sixth and seventh year?

The Cardinals could benefit from two more years of linebackers CJ Avery and Dorian Etheridge. Russ Yeast could play two more seasons.

There is still a lot to be figured out as far as logistics and who will truly be eligible to take advantage of this once in a lifetime opportunity from college football’s governing body.

Regardless, the biggest takeaway has to be that Louisville football could get really good really quickly and remain at that level if they play their cards right.

Things could be looking bright for Louisville football if the NCAA Board of Governors approves this motion.