West Virginia gets critical boost in multiple sports with favorable 5th-year ruling

On Wednesday, West Virginia Mountaineers fans got thrilling news, as the US District Court for the Northern District of West Virginiagranted four athletes an additional year of eligibility– football cornerback Jason Chambers, basketball forwards Brenen Lorient and Javan Buchanan, and baseball pitcher Ben McDougal.

Notable about the ruling is that Judge John Preston Bailey enjoined the NCAA from enforcing the Rule of Restitution – essentially meaning that if the NCAA appeals the ruling and wins, but any of the four players have already played in their respective sports, the NCAA is unable to punish West Virginia for allowing the athletes to play.

What does this mean for the West Virginia Mountaineers?

As it stands, all three sports that have an athlete involved with this ruling stand to benefit in a major way from their athletes getting an extra year of eligibility. Let's take it on a sport-by-sport basis as to exactly how.

Jason Chambers - WVU Football

The West Virginia Mountaineers have had some issues in the secondary this year. First against Coastal Carolina, and more recently in their first loss of the season against Oklahoma State. Chambers is a likely candidate to help solve some of the problems the Mountaineers are facing.

Chambers was talented enough to earn an NFL minicamp invite during the offseason. He also has one year in Zac Alley's system, and has been practicing with the team for over a month in anticipation of being granted another year of eligibility. He'll likely be able to play this Saturday against Iowa State. How much use he gets is still in the air, but I'd expect to see him taking significant reps this weekend.

Brenen Lorient, Javan Buchanan - Men's Basketball

This is where you'll see the biggest impact made, and it's not even close. Buchanan was projected to be the starting power forward before Lorient announced his intent to return. And if Lorient does re-take his spot in the starting lineup, you have have a prime sixth-man option in Buchanan who would start for most teams.

Lorientbrings two full years of playing under Ross Hodge's system, and four years of Division 1 experience to the table. He also knows what it's like to serve as a starter in the Big 12 Conference. Buchanan brings Division 1 starting experience from his time at Boise State. Without these two, West Virginia's a bubble team. With them, they have the talent to potentially make the Round of 32 or Sweet 16.

Ben McDougal - Baseball

McDougal has never been an ace pitcher in the weekend starting lineup for the Mountaineers, and we don't expect that to change. But that doesn't mean he isn'textremely valuable. He gives the Mountaineers a reliable, veteran arm in the bullpen to call on in relief situations, and one thing all college baseball fans will agree upon is that your bullpen can never be too deep.

And McDougal played a critical role in the College World Series run for the Mountaineers last year, providing important relief late in the game during multiple NCAA Tournament showdowns. And when a player has been to that level of college baseball, having him on your roster when you find yourself in those situations again can be absolutely priceless.

Well, there's no word yet on that matter. The NCAA has appealed multiple cases where athletes have been granted an additional year of eligibiity in recent months, and have had success in winning those appeals. But Sam Ehrlich, a former sports law

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