Ortega v. NCAA: New Antitrust Lawsuit Challenges NCAA’s Five-Year Eligibility Clock

By Anna Arkadianou The newly filed case of Ortega v. National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) presents a challenge to an existing NCAA eligibility rule within a college sports environment that increasingly recognizes athletes—and the tethered universities—as commercially driven participants in economic markets. Filed December 15, 2025 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, the lawsuit was brought by Reineri Andreu Ortega, a prospective Division I wre