Former Florida State forward Alex Steen is just the latest athlete taking the NCAA to court. After playing four years of college basketball, Steen believes the NCAA’s new 5-for-5 eligibility rule gives him a chance to return and hopes a judge sees it the same way.
It wouldn’t be 2026 if the NCAA changed or tried to enforce a rule without eventually having its legal team in a courtroom to defend its decision.
Now, it’s former Florida State forward Alex Steen taking the NCAA to court over its 5-for-5 rule. Steen played his first three seasons with Florida Southern and last season with the Noles. Under the old rules, Steen would have used all of his college eligibility. Under the new 5-for-5 rule, he would have one more year, and Steen is hoping the courts give him that extra season.
The NCAA’s new 5-for-5 rule was a major change to Division I eligibility. Under the new system, athletes have five years to use five years of eligibility, replacing the previous system that allowed four seasons of eligibility within five years.
The NCAA changed the rule in June, with the new eligibility policy applying to all student-athletes from the 2023 class and after. It didn’t take long for a Colorado Judge to issue a preliminary injunction to give the class of 2022 recruits an additional year of eligibility that’s not the new rule change.
The new rule also eliminates the traditional redshirt year, allowing freshmen to play immediately without worrying about using a season of eligibility.
The goal was to simplify eligibility rules while preventing student-athletes from remaining in school solely to regain their eligibility to play sports.
In a lawsuit the Tallahassee Democrat obtained, Steen’s lawyer, Julian Jackson-Fannin, cites both the changing eligibility rules and the injunction from Colorado. The suit was filed on Aug. 14.
Steen led the team in rebounds, averaging 5.8 per game. In 32 games, the Panama City Beach native averaged 6.6 points and 19.8 minutes per game, with a 63.2 field goal percentage. He pulled down 89 offensive rebounds and 96 defensive rebounds for the Seminoles last season.
In his short time at Florida State, Steen earned several honors. He was named to the 2025 Battle in the Bay All-Tournament Team, the 2025 FSU Academic Dean’s List for the fall semester, the 2026 ACC Academic Honor Roll and the 2026 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team. He was a member of the 2025-26 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
Before starting his college career, Steen played high school basketball at Arnold High School. As a senior, the Florida native averaged 23.0 points, 13.0 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game; his performance on the court earned him both All-County First-Team and All-State Third-Team honors.
At the varsity level, Steen scored more than 1,000 career points during his four-year career. Steen had offers from Troy and Austin Peay but chose to remain in Florida and play for Florida Southern.
Steen is now hoping the courts will give him one final opportunity to extend his college basketball career. For now, his eligibility remains in the hands of the legal system as his case against the NCAA moves forward.
