Jackson State and Southern University have both been impacted by the lack of clarity regarding the NCAA and its 2022 athletes.
SWAC football coaches are dealing with a new kind of roster uncertainty entering the 2026 season. The 2022 high school class remains caught in an eligibility fight that is affecting HBCU football programs just days before kickoff.
Jackson State head coach T.C. Taylor and Southern head coach Marshall Faulk both addressed the issue this week. They described situations that remain fluid even after players returned to their teams expecting to compete.
At Jackson State, Taylor said two players were initially cleared to return before being ruled ineligible again.
“It was a plus getting certain guys back out there, but when they made the call and said what they said after we talked that day — it’s just part of the game,” he said.
The uncertainty has had consequences beyond football.
“These rules and laws change it seems like every 10 minutes,” Taylor said. “But I hate it for those young men. Those guys came in and participated in, what, a week or two weeks of camp with us. You had guys quit jobs in order to come back and play football, and now here they are back at square one.”
2022 class caught in changing eligibility figh
The confusion stems from an ongoing legal fight involving athletes who graduated from high school in 2022.
A federal judge initially granted athletes from that class a preliminary injunction allowing an additional season of eligibility. However, an appeals court later stayed that ruling, again leaving many players ineligible unless they receive relief through separate legal action. The result has been different outcomes for players depending on where and how their cases are being heard.
That uncertainty has now reached multiple SWAC programs.
At Southern, Faulk was asked about defensive lineman Ckelby Givens, whose status has shifted throughout the offseason.
“None right now,” Faulk said when asked for an update. “We understand the situation that we’re in. You know, it’s the ebbs and flows. You know, when he was the GA and then he was back and then he wasn’t again.”
Faulk said Southern plans to wait as long as possible before closing the door on Givens returning.
“We’re going to take it up to the clock to see what happens,” Faulk said. “Hopefully things work out for the class of 2022, that those kids, they get an extra year and that Kelby gets to play with us another year.”
Jackson State, Southern forced to adjust
The issue puts HBCU football coaches in a difficult position.
Players who appeared eligible weeks ago can suddenly disappear from the depth chart. Coaches must prepare game plans while simultaneously waiting on decisions from courts, compliance offices and the NCAA.
For Jackson State, Taylor said the response has simply been to move forward.
“We just went back to work like we never had them,” he said.
Southern is taking a slightly different approach with Givens, holding out hope that another change could allow him back onto the field.
Neither situation appears settled for good.
The broader legal fight is continuing across college sports, with athletes from the 2022 class filing cases in multiple jurisdictions seeking access to a fifth season. Some have been allowed back while others have seen earlier eligibility restored and then taken away. (AP News)
For the SWAC, the timing could hardly be more disruptive.
The season is arriving, depth charts are being finalized and coaches are preparing for opening weekend.
But for some members of the 2022 class, whether they are football players or former football players again can apparently change almost as quickly as the next court ruling.