Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark, two former UCLA Bruins, aren’t done with college hoops, and they are taking the NCAA to court over it. On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos dropped the news Friday that Dent and Clark are part of a massive group of 25 athletes filing a lawsuit against the NCAA, all pushing for eligibility for the upcoming 2026-2027 season. Clark hit the transfer portal this offseason looking for another year, while Dent had actually announced his retirement. Now, both are in California Superior Court with attorneys Darren Heitner and Ryan Downton, fighting to get back on the court this fall.
These guys believe they are getting shortchanged on a fifth year of eligibility. See, five years is the new normal for athletes, but the NCAA isn’t grandfathering in players who have already completed their fourth year. Dent and Clark were huge parts of last year’s UCLA squad. Dent was putting up 13.3 points per game, though that was down from his junior year at New Mexico where he averaged 20.4 points. Clark was a sharpshooter, dropping 11.5 points per game and hitting an elite 42.7% from deep. They brought serious talent and leadership.
This isn’t just some one-off thing either. There’s already a similar lawsuit in Ohio where 24 men’s and women’s athletes were actually granted a preliminary injunction for their own fight for an extra year. If this California lawsuit goes their way, a return to UCLA wouldn’t be out of the question for either player. Both Dent and Clark are Southern California natives, and they’d bring a ton of experience to any locker room they land in at the college level. This whole situation could open the door for so many more athletes looking for that fifth year.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
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