BYU's largest hurdle before the regular season has been cleared.
Big man Jaxon Kohler will remain eligible for the Cougars, as a California court granted his preliminary injunction Tuesday for a fifth season of college eligibility.
The news was first reported by Robby McCombs of Vanquish the Foe . According to CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, the NCAA will appeal the ruling, though McCombs said the players "have a strong chance to win the appeal" and keep their eligibility intact, considering the injunction is prohibitory rather than temporary.
As previously reported by the Deseret News , Kohler's effort to receive further eligibility came in the aftermath of the NCAA's new "five in five" eligibility model, which was not originally grandfathered to him as a class of 2022 high school graduate.
Kohler, along with more than 70 other athletes, was granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA in August as part of Glancey v. NCAA, allowing him to enter the transfer portal and land at BYU .
The preliminary hearing for Glancey v. NCAA began in September and concluded Tuesday. The granted injunction means Kohler will remain eligible at least through the final trial date, which has yet to be determined and could possibly occur after the season's conclusion.
Should the NCAA win its appeal, the injunction would be stayed, thus sidelining Kohler until the final trial. However, McCombs says "the NCAA doesn't have a good chance to win their appeal," meaning Kohler's "chances to be eligible (for) the entire season are looking good."
A four-year contributor at Michigan State who earned All-Big Ten honors last season, Kohler recorded a double-double of 10 points and 10 points in BYU's preseason exhibition against Nebraska this past Friday, leading coach Kevin Young to call him "the perfect fit" at center for the Cougars.
"It felt amazing, it felt surreal," Kohler said after the Nebraska exhibition. "I mean, to play with these guys, to play for the community I was raised in and to go out there and be a Cougar, man, it was really special, to be honest."
BYU's Jaxon Kohler (0) shoots a 3-pointer during a game against Nebraska at the Marriott Center in Provo on Friday, Oct. 16, 2026. | Lukas Katilius, Deseret News
