Jamarques Lawrence’s college career might not be over after all.
On Friday evening, a federal judge in Colorado granted a preliminary injunction that could give Class of 2022 athletes who exhausted their eligibility this spring another year to compete. The ruling applies to Division I athletes affected by the NCAA’s new five-year eligibility rule.
Lawrence, a native of Plainfield, New Jersey, who’s started 101 games in his collegiate career, will now have the opportunity to return for one final season of play.
Here’s what the news could potentially mean for a Nebraska men’s basketball team that has been keeping a roster spot open for this very reason.
Lawrence came to Nebraska as a three-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, according to 247Sports. The 6-foot-3, 175-pound guard was rated the No. 196 overall player in the cycle and a top-five prospect in New Jersey.
As a true freshman, he made an immediate impact, appearing in 28 games with 12 starts. He averaged 5.0 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 1.0 assist per game while the Huskers finished 16-16 during the 2022-23 season. The following year, Lawrence appeared in all 34 games, starting Nebraska’s first 23 contests before moving to the bench. As the Big Red reached the NCAA Tournament, he improved to 6.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game.
Following the season, he entered the transfer portal and landed at Rhode Island. There, he started 31 games for the Rams, averaging a career-high 9.9 points while adding 2.5 assists and 1.8 rebounds per contest before returning to Lincoln for what he believed would be his final year of college basketball.
While it still could be, Lawrence is coming off arguably his best season, when he averaged 9.8 points, 3.8 assists and 2.4 rebounds. Sam Hoiberg was the only other player to start every game during Nebraska’s 2025-26 campaign, which saw the Huskers win their first NCAA Tournament games in program history .
Fred Hoiberg celebrates with Braden Frager during the 2026 NCAA men’s basketball tournament. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
What It Means for Nebraska
The Husker men’s basketball team’s stock has never been higher. Nebraska spent 15 weeks ranked in the Associated Press Top 25, and Fred Hoiberg was named the outlet’s National Coach of the Year.
However, the success was made possible by a veteran-heavy roster a season ago. The Big Red were set to lose three starters in Rienk Mast, Sam Hoiberg, and Lawrence due to eligibility, while Berke Büyüktuncel entered the transfer portal. First-Team All-Big Ten forward Pryce Sandfort was expected to be the only returning starter from last year.
That can now change. While Mast and Hoiberg are not affected by Friday’s ruling because both utilized a redshirt season, Lawrence appears to be among the players eligible to receive an additional year. The news could give NU back one of the most experienced guards in college basketball.
Note: Lawrence’s potential return is only possible as a result of redshirt senior forward Henry Burt not taking up a roster spot, due to a “grandfather clause” implemented during the House vs NCAA settlement. Otherwise, the Huskers would already have a full 15-man roster for 2026-27.
Kendall Blue celebrates with fans after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes at Pinnacle Bank Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Another Husker This Affects
It’s also worth noting that fellow would-be fifth-year guard Kendall Blue, who transferred to Nebraska from St. Thomas (Minn.), could also return. Listed at 6-foot-6, Blue played a reserve role for the Big Red last season while seeing action in19 games. He has recorded 1,026 career points and 401 rebounds to this point in his career.
Statement from the NCAA: “Without targeted intervention from Congress, college sports cannot set nationwide rules everyone can play by and without Congress, failed professionals will continue to use college sports as a fallback option — robbing the next class of young athletes of… https://t.co/WhPR9VzX1M
— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) August 1, 2026What’s Next
The NCAA wasn’t happy with Friday’s ruling. In a statement, the organization called on Congress to pass the Protect College Sports Act, saying decisions like this are “robbing the next class of college scholarships.”
Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported that Big Ten presidents and chancellors voted in favor of supporting the Protect College Sports Act earlier today. SEC presidents and chancellors, meeting this evening, could do the same.
For now, though, the injunction ruling remains in place. That means Lawrence currently has the chance to return for one final year. The Huskers have seemingly been waiting on this to occur. Still, there’s no doubt they went into the offseason expecting their former starting guard to be moving on.
Expect an update soon.
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