A judge in St. Louis County settles it
Sterling Webb can play. A judge denied the NCAA’s motion to dismiss a temporary restraining order earlier today, and Missouri’s defensive tackle is eligible for a season that begins tomorrow night.
Eli Drinkwitz found out during the SEC coaches teleconference. “I’m just trying to figure out who’s eligible for our games,” the Missouri head coach said, with kickoff against visiting Arkansas-Pine Bluff barely 24 hours away.
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A rule written for five years, and the players it skipped
The case turns on the NCAA framework granting college athletes five years of eligibility within five years. Webb graduated high school in 2022, which left him outside the transition group the rule was built to cover. He sued, and last week a court granted him an additional year.
The NCAA moved to have the restraining order thrown out. That motion is now dead.
Webb spent two seasons at New Mexico State before moving to Columbia. He played three games for Missouri in 2024 and started eight last season, which makes him one of the more experienced bodies available to a defensive interior that would rather not open an SEC campaign short-handed.
Drinkwitz is not promising snaps
The coach welcomed Webb back to practice in July, while the legal fight ran on, saying he accepted the player was “doing what he thinks is best for him.” That is not the same as a job. Drinkwitz has eased him back into sessions and has not committed to playing him against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Missouri open the season ranked 25th. Webb has been cleared. Whether he takes the field on Thursday is Drinkwitz’s call, and the coach has not made it.
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