UH will benefit from new NCAA rule

Hawaii reliever Colin Ashworth’s collegiate career ended when he suffered an ankle injury.

And now, thanks to a new NCAA rule, his career might not have ended.

The NCAA now allows for a player who has a non-injury redshirt year to extend his career if he misses another season because of an injury. Previously, a player had to miss two years because of an injury to apply for a sixth year.

Ashworth, who redshirted as a freshman at Arizona State, would be in line to receive a sixth UH season, enabling him to play in 2019, if he so chooses that option.

That also is good news for other players, such as linebacker Malachi Mageo, who redshirted as a freshman in 2014 and missed all of last season because of a knee injury. He is likely eligible to have two more seasons of play.

The rule:

12.8.1.7.1 Waiver Criteria. A waiver of the five-year period of eligibility is designed to provide a student-athlete with the opportunity to participate in four seasons of intercollegiate competition within a five-year period. This waiver may be granted, based upon objective evidence under the following circumstances: (Revised: 4/17/91, 1/11/94, 8/10/94, 10/12/95, 4/27/00, 7/30/10, 7/31/14, 4/25/18 Immediate; applicable to a student-athlete who qualifies for a waiver that would provide the opportunity to participate in four seasons of competition within a five-year period.)
(a) The student-athlete did not use a season of intercollegiate competition in his or her initial year of full-time, collegiate enrollment due to an institutional decision to redshirt the student-athlete; the student-athlete was listed on the institution’s squad list and was eligible for competition during the segment of the season that concludes with the NCAA championship; and the student-athlete was deprived of the opportunity to participate in intercollegiate competition in one other season due to circumstances beyond the control of the student-athlete or institution; or
(b) The student-athlete is deprived of the opportunity to participate for more than one season in his or her sport within the five-year period of eligibility for reasons that are beyond the control of the student-athlete or the institution.