Kansas guard Melvin Council Jr. would gladly run it back in Lawrence, but his future hinges less on preference and more on what happens in courtrooms around the country. Council is playing for Kansas this season because of a blanket waiver the NCAA issued last year, tied to litigation involving Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. Another ruling next week could reshape the same eligibility questions that affect Council.
Kansas coach Bill Self said he would welcome that outcome.
“Would I love that? Absolutely,” Self said. “I love coaching him.”
Council, who averages 13.8 points, 5.0 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game while ranking among the Big 12’s leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio, talked about his chance at returning to Kansas on Thursday.
“I haven’t looked into that, but I’ve been hearing things, seeing things and stuff like that,” Council said. “I mean, I would love to come back if I had another year. It’s Kansas. Why not? Bill Self.”
The legal backdrop is complicated. Pavia’s lawsuit argues junior college seasons should not count against the NCAA’s five-year eligibility clock. Another case from Joey Aguilar seeks similar relief after multiple JUCO seasons allegedly limited his NIL opportunities. Council played two years in junior college before stops at Wagner and St. Bonaventure, making him one of many athletes watching the February hearings closely.
Self cautioned that nothing is simple.
“I haven’t studied it,” he said. “I know that there would have to be some things that are done. And the NCAA has made statements that they’re certainly frowning on waivers, so to speak.”
Kansas recently saw another quarterback’s waiver denied elsewhere; Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. Self noted those circumstances differed because they involved Division II seasons rather than JUCO time. For now, Council wait, hoping courts or policymakers widen the door.
If that happens, the guard already knows where he would like to walk through it.
“I would love to come back,” Council said.
For Kansas fans, the appeal is obvious. Council’s play style made fans fall in love and would take no chances having Council back in a Kansas uniform next season.