The 5 Final Four players who wouldn't be eligible under Trump's 'Save College Sports' order
Friday's executive order -- if retroactively applied -- would have an impact on how this season's best teams looked
INDIANAPOLIS -- Would Michigan have made it this far without Yaxel Lendeborg, who is in his sixth season of college basketball? What about Illinois without wing Andrej Stojakovic or center Zvonimir Ivisic, who are each on their third school in three years?
Saturday night's Final Four matchups would have a vastly different flavor if they were contested under provisions outlined in an executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Friday. The order, entitled "Urgent National Action to Save College Sports," calls for restricted eligibility windows and transfer limitations to take effect on Aug. 1.
Among other things, the order deems that participation in college sports should be limited to a five-year period. It also says athletes will be allowed to transfer only once during that five-year period without sitting out a season, unless they are a graduate transfer.
The legal enforceability of the executive order will be put to the test. NCAA president Charlie Baker noted in a statement that stabilizing college sports "still requires a permanent, bipartisan federal legislative solution."
But if the collegiate sports landscape were to take shape according to the provisions of the executive order, it would bring far-reaching impacts. Here's how the Final Four would look different if contested with executive order's rules in place.
Michigan potentially down two starters
Two Michigan starters -- guard Nimari Burnett and forward Yaxel Lendeborg -- would potentially be ineligible under the rules outlined in the executive order, as both players are in their sixth year since beginning their college careers.
Yaxel Lendeborg: Lendeborg spent three seasons in the junior college ranks before blossoming into a star at UAB over the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons. It was not immediately clear whether Trump's executive order would have the power to supersede the Diego Pavia precedent, which has led to elongated Division I eligibility for former junior college players. But, if taken at face value, the order would put a player in Lendeborg's position at risk moving forward.
The exact language of the order states that "participation in college athletics is permitted for no more than a five-year period." Of note: no distinction is made to suggest that the five-year window would only apply to Division 1 participation. The only listed exceptions are for "military service, missionary service, and other periods of absence from participation that are in the public interest."
Lendeborg is No. 1 in my ranking of the 20 starters in this year's Final Four.
Nimari Burnett: Burnett left Texas Tech for personal reasons midway through his freshman season in 2020-21 and then transferred to Alabama. He sat out the 2021-22 season following a knee surgery and then played for the Crimson Tide in 2022-23. He left for Michigan as a graduate transfer ahead of the 2023-24 season. Under the parameters of the executive order, the 2024-25 season would have been his last since that was his fifth in a five-year window.
Both Lendeborg and Burnett began their collegiate journeys amid the COVID-19 impacted 2020-21 season, which did not count against NCAA eligibility. But if taken at face value and if it holds up to legal scrutiny, the order would apply to players in their position in the future.
Illinois down three bench players
Illinois' bench unit would likely look significantly different if the executive order had been in place and enforceable for 2025-26 season. Two key Illini reserves are on their third school in three years while another is in his sixth season of college basketball.
Andrej Stojakovic: Stojakovic played his freshman season at Stanford and his sophomore year at Cal before transferring to Illinois for his junior season. If he had attempted to transfer for a second time under the executive order, he would be sitting out. Instead, he's been a key cog for the Illini, averaging 13.6 points per game while serving as a vital source of offense.
Zvonimir Ivisic: Ivisic began his career at Kentucky before following coach John Calipari to Arkansas for the 2024-25 season. But after one year with the Razorbacks, he opted to transfers to Illinois and join his brother, Tomislav, with the Illini. Similarly to Stojakovic, his second transfer would have triggered a sit-out season under the terms of the order. Ivisic has been Illinois' best rim protector, averaging two blocks per game in just 17.5 minutes.
Ben Humrichous: Humrichous falls in the same category as Lendeborg from Michigan as a sixth-year player who spent three seasons at the non-Division 1 level. He averages 5.9 points and 3.9 rebounds in 22.4 minutes while shooting 36.1% from beyond the arc.
