SOUTH BEND — Jason Onye, defensive tackle for Notre Dame football, is part of a disappearing group.
Granted a sixth year of eligibility this offseason after the NCAA granted his medical hardship petition, Onye will close out his career this fall.
Barring a late reversal by the NCAA Division I cabinet on Wednesday June 24, age-based eligibility will be implemented starting with the upcoming academic year. Division I athletes, regardless of sport, will have up to five years of eligibility if they enroll in college no later than the academic year after their 19th birthday.
The new rule eliminates the need for redshirt designations and eligibility extension waivers like the one Onye received for a 2024 season in which he left the team after five games for mental health reasons.
Those who exhausted their college eligibility with the 2025-26 academic year won’t be granted a reprieve.
Exceptions to the new “five for five” standard will be limited to pregnancy, active-duty military service and official religious missions.
Onye, speaking this spring, likened his slow-moving petition process to a waiting game in which the petitioner was pretty much helpless.
“For lack of a better word, just sitting like a duck,” said Onye, who missed the bulk of spring practice after breaking a bone in his right hand.
He’d returned to campus in early January to continue work toward his master’s degree in nonprofit administration. He jumped into pre-draft workouts with a handful of NFL hopefuls because that would’ve been his only recourse had the NCAA rejected his request.
“I was training with Coach (Loren) Landow, expecting worst-case scenario I’ll have to go declare for the draft,” Onye said.
The start-stop nature of the review process took an emotional toll on all involved.
“Basically, we would hear some optimism from the NCAA office, like they’re going to review it tomorrow,” Onye said. “Tomorrow would come; don’t hear anything. Just like that whole entire game.”
‘The elephant in the room’
The 6-foot-5, 295-pounder from North Providence, RI didn’t know what to tell concerned teammates or coaches when he’d see them at the football facilities. For roughly six weeks, starting from the moment the Irish turned down a Pop-Tarts Bowl bid, Onye had to watch the transfer portal unfold with no clarity on his playing future.
“It was kind of awkward just being in the locker room,” he said, “not knowing whether I’m going to be with this team again or whether I’m not. I’m kind of like the question mark in the room, the elephant in the room.”
In the interim, Notre Dame added a pair of talented transfer defensive tackles: Francis Brewu of Pittsburgh and Tionne Gray of Oregon. The Irish also convinced fourth-year junior defensive tackle Armel Mukam to do a U-turn after he spent some time in the portal.
Finally, three weeks into the new year, Onye and Notre Dame officials heard back from the NCAA with the good news: He could play one more year in 2026.
“All in all, I’m blessed to be back here,” he said. “I love it here. I don’t take it for granted.”
Especially when it turns out he’ll be making history.
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: New NCAA ruling helps Jason Onye make history at Notre Dame football
Reporting by Mike Berardino, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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By Mike Berardino, South Bend Tribune | USA TODAY Network
