Mizzou basketball, Tolton alum Jevon Porter joins eligibility lawsuit
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A second Missouri basketball player has joined the wave of college athletes who are part of lawsuits seeking a fifth season of eligibility.
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Mizzou and Tolton High alum Jevon Porter is part of a group of athletes who have filed an injunction against the NCAA in California, according to a report from Jon Rothstein at CBS Sports on Friday.
Shawn Phillips Jr., who was Porter’s teammate last season in Columbia, was involved in a similar piece of litigation that was filed in Ohio in June.
A judge in Ohio granted a preliminary injunction on July 9, meaning Phillips currently is able to sign for a new team and is eligible to play in the 2026-27 college basketball season.
Porter, who is the younger brother of Michael Porter Jr. and Jontay Porter, appears to be among a new group of athletes looking for a similar outcome.
The lawsuits — and there are now several similar injunctions that have been filed across the country — challenge the application of the NCAA’s recently approved age-based eligibility model, which will not be applied retroactively to members of the 2022 high school class who exhausted their eligibility in four years.
The NCAA Division I Cabinet unanimously approved a change to its longstanding eligibility rules in June, ushering in what is officially known as the “age-based eligibility model.” The change officially will be finalized Wednesday and will be fully implemented beginning in fall 2027, although any potential eligibility benefits immediately can be used by current college athletes.
In the now-approved rule change, an athlete will have five years to complete five full seasons of eligibility. The eligibility clock starts upon high school graduation or a person’s 19th birthday, whichever comes first. There will now be extremely limited medical redshirts and waivers.
Current NCAA athletes who retained eligibility can use either the old eligibility model or the age-based eligibility model, depending on which one is most beneficial.
Here’s the reason for the legal challenges, which were widely expected when the rule change was proposed:
The rule will not be applied retroactively. That means any athlete, like Porter, who was a member of the Class of 2022 and completed their four years of eligibility in four seasons will not be granted an additional year. The NCAA has ruled that if an athlete's eligibility ran out after the 2025-26 athletic season then it is considered complete.
Porter spent one season at Mizzou, transferring to the Tigers ahead of the 2025-26 campaign from Loyola Marymount. The 6-foot-11 forward started his career and spent two seasons at Pepperdine.
Over 12 games in nonconference play, Porter averaged 6.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He missed the remainder of the season with an injury.
In high school, Porter was part of a Tolton team that went to the MSHSAA Class 2 title game.
Porter has been part of the Memphis Grizzlies’ Summer League team over the past 10 days in Las Vegas. He played for the professional outfit as recently as Thursday, when he was on the court for two minutes in Memphis’ 96-64 win over the Atlanta Hawks.
Mizzou has reached its roster limit of 15 players for the 2026-27 season, meaning there is no space for Porter or Phillips to join the MU roster this coming season.
Assuming Porter’s lawsuit has a similar outcome to Phillips’ preliminary injunction, both players would need to find a new team if they wish to keep playing college.
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou basketball, Tolton alum Jevon Porter joins eligibility lawsuit