The NCAA is expected to discuss a rule change next week that would make student-athletes ineligible to join teams after their respective sport’s season has started, with a potential vote coming in early 2027.
A source with knowledge of the situation told SwimSwam that the rule would apply to sports that have seasons spanning both the fall and winter semesters, which includes swimming and diving.
The expectation is that the rule would come into effect once a sport has started its championship season—that is, once athletes have started competing in bona fide competitions that are qualifiers for the NCAA Championships or, in team sports, playing official games that count toward their record.
If the rule were to be passed, it would come into effect for the 2027-28 season (August 1, 2027).
The NCAA Division I Cabinet is expected to discuss the proposal and feedback received during its October 6-7 meeting, and considering voting on it during it January 12-13, 2027, meeting.
We reported in August how this rule change was something expected to be voted on in October, though we previously reported it would be effective immediately.
With it being pushed back to 2027-28, if it goes through, the door would open for Luka Mijatovic, the top-ranked recruit in the boys’ high school class of 2027, to join the Texas Longhorns early. In August, local newspaper Pleasanton Weekly initially reported that Mijatovic would be graduating high school early and joining Texas in January 2027, only for the article to be edited shortly thereafter.
Midseason additions have become common in swimming and diving, most commonly from international swimmers, including Anastasia Gorbenko (Louisville) and Mizuki Hirai (Tennessee) last season, though it does happen with American swimmers as well, including Alex Shackell, who joined Indiana last January.
