The NCAA’s bad timing prevented a Tennessee player who wanted to return from being able to play for the Vols in 2026
The NCAA certainly didn’t do the Tennessee Vols any favors this offseason.
If the NCAA had better timing, the Tennessee Vols would be getting a key defensive player back this fall.
But the NCAA seemingly never has good timing, so it means the Volunteers will be without a defensive lineman who wanted to play another season on Rocky Top.
The NCAA’s new 5-for-5 rule — a new age-based eligibility rule that will grant all Division I athletes five years to complete five seasons — wasn’t passed until late June.
If the rule had been passed earlier this offseason — specifically before the 2026 NFL Draft — it would’ve allowed defensive lineman Jaxson Moi to return to Tennessee for one more season.
“If this rule had been passed six months ago, a guy like Jaxson Moi would have come back for another year at defensive tackle,” said VolQuest’s Austin Price this past week on WNML’s Josh and Swain.
Moi said in June during an appearance on WNML’s SportsTalk that he tried to get a fifth season of eligibility early in the offseason.
“I can’t even explain how much it meant to me, being a Vol,” said Moi. “I was trying to get a fifth year and come back and play this upcoming season — just because of all the games that I missed, and with the NCAA possibly talking about passing the five for five (rule).
“But being a Vol, it meant everything to me. I get emotional talking about it. Just because sometimes I get in my head. I feel like I wish I would have finished a little bit stronger than I did, but I’m going to be a Vol for the rest of my life. The relationships and the friendships that I made there, they’re going to stick with me forever. And I tell my family that Tennessee is my second home. I can see myself living out in Knoxville again… I’m a Vol for life, no doubt.”
Moi signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent after going unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft. He’ll have an uphill battle ahead of him to make the Rams’ 53-man roster.
Tennessee certainly could’ve used Moi’s presence on the defensive line this fall, but the NCAA, as is often the case, did the Vols (and every other student-athlete) no favors by dragging out this decision.