By Derek DeBurger
Aly Khalifa has won his eligibility appeal with the NCAA, granting him a final year to play college basketball.
The announcement was made by the basketball program via a video posted to X, formerly Twitter.
Khalifa initially committed to play for Pat Kelsey and Louisville recently after a torn ACL with the plan of taking a medical redshirt his first year. However, the NCAA ruled that he had already exhausted his five-year clock to play four seasons and denied him a medical hardship waiver.
The 6-foot-11 center retained attorney Darren Heitner in his attempts to regain his final year of eligibility. And the university was prepared to take legal action, too, if the appeal did not go their way, per Mike Rutherford.
But the granted appeal now adds Khalifa to a frontcourt that was bolstered during the uncertainty surrounding his appeal.
Kasean Pryor will also be returning off of an ACL injury, as international recruits like Sananda Fru, Vangelis Zougris and Mouhamed Camara enter into their freshman seasons.
Khalifa averaged 5.7 points, 3.7 rebounds and four assists his lone season at BYU. He is widely regarded as the best passing big man in all of college basketball.
The guarantee of Khalifa’s spot on the roster adds excitement to what is already one of the most anticipated seasons of Louisville basketball in the past decade.
Photo Courtesy // Louisville Athletics
