Missouri forward Mark Mitchell has filed a lawsuit in Louisville, Kentucky, looking to enter the transfer portal ahead of a potential fifth year of eligibility. The judge assigned to Mitchell's case is Brian Edwards, who received his master's degree from the University of Kentucky in 1996. The Missouri forward is asking Edwards to reopen the transfer portal until Tuesday, Aug. 18. The hearing for the case was originally scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 13, but was rescheduled to 11 a.m. Friday, Aug. 14. Edwards did not make an official ruling during Friday's hearing. He heard oral arguments from both parties and asked for them to supplement additional written arguments by the end of the day Tuesday, Aug. 18. Edwards said there is an "endeavor to have a ruling by the end of next week." The lawsuit asks for a "temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction, and thereafter a permanent injunction, enjoining the NCAA from prohibiting any Plaintiff from playing at any NCAA Division I school in the 2026-27 season because they failed to enter the transfer portal." The NCAA recently created an eligibility structure that gives athletes five years to play five seasons. But Mitchell and the rest of the 2022 graduating class were not grandfathered into the new structure. Mitchell played two season at Duke, from 2022-24, before transferring to Missouri, where he spent the past two seasons. The lawsuit states that Mitchell is not sure where he will be playing his fifth season of college basketball, which is significant because he did not enter the transfer portal following the 2025-26 season. The Kansas City, Kansas, native is limited in his rights if he were to be given a fifth year. If a player from the Class of 2022 is granted another year of eligibility and did not enter the portal after this past season, their only option is to return to the school they where they played during the 2025-26 season. The Missouri forward has been connected to joining Mark Pope; Kentucky currently has one roster spot available. Notably, classes at the University of Kentucky begin Aug. 24. .oembed-frame {width:100%;height:100%;margin:0;border:0;}
Reach sports trending writer Alaina Morris at amorris@gannett.com and follow her on X at @alainammorris. Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Judge delays ruling in Mark Mitchell's NCAA transfer portal case