SEATTLE — The Washington Huskies have a new player.
He is also an old player.
Wearing a white No. 46 jersey with his familiar last name across the back, Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei, an every-game starter for the Huskies as a fourth-year senior last season, rejoined the team for their third practice of training camp on Sunday morning.
Originally an Arizona signee in the 2022 recruiting class, Uiagalelei completed his fourth college season in 2025, meaning he belongs to the class of players covered by a recent preliminary injunction granted by U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Denver.
The NCAA’s new five-in-five or “age-based” eligibility rule — five years to play five college seasons, with no more redshirting and far more limited waiver opportunities — specified that it would apply to players beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, and not players like Uiagalelei, who exhausted their eligibility under the old rules. Predictably, though, many athletes in the class of 2022 succeeded in securing injunctive relief to play another year, and Sweeney’s order opened the door for any member of that class to return to school.
The judge later clarified that her order did not apply to athletes who had already signed pro contracts, and does not supersede any other NCAA rules, such as when players may enter the transfer portal. Uiagalelei attended UW’s Pro Day and sought an NFL career, but never was reported to have signed with an NFL team.
The question now is what role he might have in his fifth and final college season.