The NCAA is currently deep in discussions about a major shake-up to eligibility rules for college athletes, and the proposed changes could reshape how programs like Michigan Basketball and Football build their rosters. While the NCAA has confirmed these rules won't be applied retroactively, let's take a fun look at how they might have impacted the Wolverines if they were.

At its core, the proposed rule gives athletes a five-year window to compete, starting either from the school year after their 19th birthday or after high school graduation—whichever comes first. The only exceptions would be for military service, religious missions, or pregnancy, which effectively means the end of traditional redshirting. This shift could have given some players an extra season they didn't have before.

For Michigan Basketball, the most notable case would be Roddy Gayle Jr. He spent two years at Ohio State before finishing his college career with two seasons in Ann Arbor under head coach Dusty May. Gayle turned 19 in July 2022, and since his high school graduation came before that birthday, the new rules would have kept him eligible through the 2026-27 season. That extra year could have been a game-changer for the Wolverines' backcourt depth.

On the football side, the impact is trickier to pin down due to the larger roster and less publicly available birthday data, but Michigan would have seen some familiar faces return. The Wolverines recently lost four starters due to expired eligibility who, under the new rules, would have had a fifth year to play.

Derrick Moore, a top-100 recruit out of Baltimore, made an immediate impact during his four-year career in Ann Arbor. Since he never redshirted, the proposed rules would have allowed him to return for one more season. That said, Moore appears NFL-bound regardless, so this might have only delayed his professional debut.

Both of Michigan's starting linebackers from the 2025 squad—Jaishawn Barham and Ernest Hausmann—also transferred into the program without ever taking a year off. Under the new system, they would have retained eligibility for an additional season, giving the Wolverines a more experienced and formidable defensive core. While these scenarios are purely hypothetical, they highlight how the proposed rules could extend careers and deepen rosters in ways that fans and coaches alike would love to see.