Overview
- A Tennessee state court granted Jalen Washington a temporary injunction on July 31 that preserved a fifth season of eligibility for him and 16 other players.
- The injunction directed the NCAA to allow those players into the transfer portal between Aug. 3–10, and Tennessee used the window to secure Washington on Aug. 3.
- Washington, a 6-foot-10 forward/center from Gary, Ind., began at North Carolina in 2022, posted career highs at Vanderbilt in 2025-26, and went undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft.
- Coach Rick Barnes welcomed Washington as an experienced low-post presence who can protect the rim and stretch the floor, filling Tennessee’s one open scholarship.
- The case highlights conflict over the NCAA’s new age-based '5 in 5' rule, raises questions about ghost-transfer enforcement by the NCAA, and could prompt further appeals that shape future roster rules.