The Cincinnati Bearcats are now down star guard MJ Collins after a court ruled the Utah State transfer is ineligible for the 2026-27 season. The decision arrived Friday as part of the Filip Borovacanin vs. the NCAA case in Ohio, which initially granted an injunction and ruled all players involved eligible. The NCAA filed an appeal, which was heard Sept. 22, according to reporting by 247Sports.
It’s the latest result in a myriad of eligibility cases on behalf of players from the 2022 graduating high school class, declaring that the NCAA is unfairly applying its 5-for-5 eligibility policy, which negates elective and medical redshirts for five continuous years of eligibility from the academic year associated with an athlete’s 19th birthday.
Collins, graduating from Westminster Catawba Christian School in 2022, played four full years of college basketball at Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt and Utah State before transferring to Cincinnati and pursuing his eligibility case in Ohio. The sweeping Colorado case may save Collins, but it’s a long shot considering the timeline with the regular season rapidly approaching.
MJ COLLINS COLLEGE CAREER
Following Jerrod Calhoun from Utah State, Collins, a former four-star recruit to Virginia Tech, strengthened Cincinnati’s outlook as a veteran guard fresh off the best season of his college career. Collins was named All-Mountain West Second Team and the league’s tournament MVP last season.
Collins started 36 different games, averaging 30.7 minutes per night as one of the Aggies’ key scoring threats and becoming the 11th-highest scorer (630 points) in school history during his short tenure in Logan. Together, Calhoun and Collins finished 29-7 overall and finished 15-5 as the Mountain West regular-season and tournament champions.
Key MJ Collins Figures At Utah State
• 17.5 PPG
• 2.5 RPG
• 1.6 APG
• 48.7% FG
WHAT’S NEXT FOR CINCINNATI?
Without Collins, the Cincinnati starting lineup now has a hole left by the former Utah State standout.
Tylen Riley (Tulsa), Elijah Perryman (Utah State), Trevian Carson (North Dakota State), Akai Fleming (Georgia Tech), and Myles Colvin (Wake Forest/Purdue) are the remaining options to fill the minutes otherwise consumed by Collins this season. Moreover, the Bearcats retained just one guard, fifth-year graduate Grant Darbyshire, from last year’s roster. Key forwards Tyler Tejada (Towson), Adlan Elamin (Utah State), and Jayden Hastings (Boston College) complete Calhoun’s frontcourt.
