Breaking Down The NCAA Appeal To A Court Granting WVU Football Players Eligibility

The big ongoing story of the summer and preseason camp for WVU football fans has been centered around four players who transferred into the program this offseason -- Jimmori Robinson, Tye Edwards, Justin Harrington, and Jeffrey Weimer -- and their struggle to earn eligibility waivers from the NCAA.

The four players all felt they were in situations where they fit the current NCAA requirements for eligibility but were told by the NCAA they were ineligible. They applied for waivers and awaited all summer for an answer, and eventually took matters into their own hands by suing the NCAA. Last week, the four players won their case and were granted an injunction for eligibility in 2025. Monday morning, they were added to the roster.

But just hours later, news broke that the NCAA would be appealing the decision. Let's take a look at what exactly is going on, and break down what the latest news means.

Can These Four Athletes Suit Up For The Mountaineers?

The short answer right now seems to be yes -- at least for 75 percent of the players in question.

The temporary restraining order granted by the court to the four players to open the pathway to eligibility means the NCAA cannot punish the players or the school if they play for the Mountaineers this season, according to sports law expert and Boise State professor Sam Ehrlich. However, if the NCAA wins their appeal, Erlich told West Virginia On SI that the four players can be deemed ineligible for any remaining games.

"The TRO (temporary restraining order) stops the NCAA from punishing WVU for playing the guys," he said. "No chance an appellate court overturns that, and I doubt the NCAA even tries to get them to overturn it. Though if the appeal somehow goes through before the end of the year and it's overturned, the players could be ruled ineligible for any remaining games. Appellate courts tend to work super slowly, though. We'll see if the NCAA moves for expedited consideration and if the appellate court grants it, though."

How slowly are we talking for the appellate court cases? Well, Erlich said that Rutgers safety Jett Elad is in a similar situation where an appeal was filed in May, and the court only recently set oral arguments for mid-September. In another tweet on X, formerly known as Twitter, he said he believes a ruling by November would be "rather quick." The NCAA could file a motion for an emergency stay of the decision pending appeal to force the players to be sidelined, but it is "difficult to win" according to Erlich and has not been asked for in any of the NCAA's similar cases this offseason. Erlich believes for the NCAA it's more a matter of "the precedent than if the players are actually allowed to play."

And yes, we did say court cases. The appeal means that unlike the original lawsuit where all four players sued together, the appeal will send the players' individual cases to different appellate courts due to each case arising in different individual states. Which brings us to our final point.

The Curious Case Of Jimmori Robinson.

Robinson was the only Top 100 transfer in the class for the Mountaineers and is a former American Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and arguably the player whose eligibility will make the biggest impact for WVU. He's also got a unique case compared to his teammates.

The NCAA's lawyer dropped the bombshell during last week's court hearings that Robinson is academically ineligible, a separate issue than what was being brought before the courts, and would not be eligible to play even if with the ruling granting him an additional year of eligibility based on his eligibility clock.

The NCAA released a statement following the judge granted the order allowing eligibility that indicated they were worried about the precedent the ruling sets for academic eligibility, which made some think the decision would not be contested. But now, it is being contested, and a different judge will determine Robinson's eligibility without any other players involved.

WVU AD Wren Baker said Friday that the school has "engaged" the Big 12 on the matter and is seeking "clarity" before moving forward in a manner that "doesn't put the institute at risk." Mike Casazza of EerSports also disclosed on the Country Roads Confidential podcast on Monday that while he was told Edwards, Harrington, and Weimer scrimmaged with the team this past Saturday and showed up at a fan event this weekend, Robinson was not present at either event.

The NCAA might not be able to punish him for playing based on being ineligible due to running out his eligibility clock, how the appellate court feels about punishment for him playing while academically ineligible is unanswered. So it seems with Robinson, much is still uncertain.

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