Former Mizzou player Sterling Webb granted extra year of eligibility
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A former Mizzou football player was granted a temporary restraining order by a St. Louis County judge for another year of eligibility.
Defensive tackle Sterling Webb filed a lawsuit on Tuesday in St. Louis County against the NCAA, claiming that he should have one more year of eligibility. In a motion hearing Thursday with Judge Ellen Ribaudo, lawyers for Webb argued that under both the new and old NCAA rules regarding a fifth year, he is eligible. Under a previous NCAA rule, athletes were given a five-year window to compete for four years. That rule was then changed in June 2026, allowing high school graduating classes from 2023, 2024 and 2025 to be granted a fifth year of competition.
Webb's lawyers argued that athletes from the 2023, 2024, and 2025 high school graduating classes are given the option to choose between the new rule and the old rule, whichever rule benefits them the most. Webb's lawyers believe that giving that option to athletes is not uniform and does not treat athletes fairly, as Webb graduated from high school in 2022.
Lawyers for the NCAA argued that this lawsuit was a disruption to the status quo, Webb had no merit, Webb was never promised a fifth year of eligibility, and that Webb shouldn't take the right to compete for a roster spot and other opportunities away from other athletes with an extra year.
Webb is seeking a binding court order and claims there has been a breach of contract.
NCAA argued that there was no breach of contract; it was a rule of college football that should prevent him from the extra year.
The petition alleges that Webb should have an extra year left after the NCAA made eligibility changes to an “age-based model” of five seasons in five years.
Webb played at New Mexico State during the 2022 and 2023 seasons before transferring to Missouri in 2024 and completing the 2025 season. Webb was 18 when he started playing college football and he will be 23 this year, arguing that he falls within the age-based model of five seasons in five years.
The petition alleges that recent seniors are excluded while still fitting in the framework of the rule and this year’s incoming freshmen benefit more.
“But the NCAA did not stop at adopting the new model. It attached a transition condition providing that student-athletes who had already completed a fourth season of competition before the model takes effect, without a ‘redshirt year’ in reserve, get nothing (the “Transition Exclusion”),” the lawsuit says.
The petition alleges MU has a roster spot available to him and cites a recent court case in Texas that allowed an offensive lineman at Texas to play an extra year.
The lawsuit says Webb is seeking a decision on the matter before fall camp starts for the Tigers on Monday, Aug. 3.
Mizzou Athletics gave its support for Webb in a statement sent to ABC 17 News.
“Mizzou Athletics is aware of today's court filing to consider Sterling Webb's college football eligibility status," the statement reads. "We support Sterling as he pursues his legal options and will continue to monitor the process. Because this is an active legal matter, we will not speculate on the outcome or provide further comment at this time.”
