Monmouth basketball star preparing for fifth season after 'Indiana 5 for 5' ruling

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With so many changes happening in college sports, Monmouth University basketball fans may have gotten the better end of it this week after Jack Collins announced he's returning for another year.

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The four-year starter said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that a favorable ruling in the 'Indiana 5 for 5' challenge to the NCAA gives him another year of eligibility and he will return to West Long Branch.

More: Monmouth basketball's Jack Collins, knee ripped up, went out a warrior

"After the recent ruling in the Indiana 5 for 5 case, I’m excited to say I’m officially eligible (sic) for the 2026-2027 year," the Manasquan High School graduate said. "With my extra year, I will be coming back to Monmouth to earn my MBA and compete for the team, one last year."

Going into this academic year, the NCAA took away the traditional redshirt rule and various hardship waivers in favor of an age-based eligibility framework. The new NCAA “five-for-five” guidelines allow student-athletes to play five seasons in five calendar years. However, the rule excluded student-athletes from the 2022 high school class - Collins included - even if they fit the criteria for an additional year.

It's worth noting the NCAA plans on fighting the ruling.

"That's a complicated question," Athletic Director Jen Sansevero said, when asked what certainty there is of Collins being on coach King Rice's team when the season begins. The Hawks open hosting an exhibition game Oct. 24 against Seton Hall. "Jack is part of the daily case; there are a number of plaintiffs' names in that case and Jack's one of them. We don't know what the final outcome of the case is because it's on an appeal currently. But as of today, he is eligible to compete. So Jack is enrolled at Monmouth in a master's program, he's practicing with the team and Monmouth will comply with any court order moving forward and currently.

"I think it's a real opportunity at Monmouth to have Jack back. He's a longstanding member of our university community. He's a leader. This situation could allow him to compete and it currently allows him to compete."

When Monmouth found out Collins was eligible, administrators "moved quickly," Sansevero said. Collins would be only the second returning starter from last year's team to go along with eight newcomers. Six Hawks transferred to different schools after last season.

"What he brings as a leader and his experience in today's modern landscape where you have so much turnover in a roster every year, bringing somebody like Jack back is something we're really excited about and that we appreciate the opportunity that this situation brings us," Sansevero said.

Collins has played all four years for the Hawks and scored 1,223 total points. This past season, he started all 31 games he played and helped Monmouth get to the Coastal Athletic Association championship game. He also averaged 7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game and had a team-high 139 assists. He played point guard for much of the regular season due to Monmouth's original starting point guard Kavion McClain sitting out during an NCAA investigation that the association never explained publicly. Collins also battled a knee injury for parts of the season.

Collins is from a family with deep Jersey Shore roots. His sister Katie plays basketball at UPenn.

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Monmouth basketball star preparing for fifth season after 'Indiana 5 for 5' ruling

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