A Washtenaw County judge has cleared the way for former Miami tight end Alex Bauman to suit up for Michigan this season, ruling that the NCAA must open the transfer portal for him and let him participate immediately at any Division I program during the 2026-27 season. The tight end, who graduated high school in 2022 and already has stops at Tulane and Miami behind him, was admitted to the University of Michigan and enrolled in its School of Social Work, according to court filings.
Judge Julia B. Owdziej granted the preliminary injunction against the NCAA, according to court filings cited by MLive. Bauman filed the motion for a temporary restraining order in Washtenaw County Circuit Court after pursuing a similar fifth-year bid in Florida by September 2, per the same report.
Owdziej's courtroom is not new territory for these fights. The same judge previously granted a preliminary injunction against the NCAA in August 2025 enjoining enforcement of the five-year rule so Eastern Michigan offensive lineman Blake Bustard could keep playing, with the court finding that barring an athlete from team participation inflicts irreparable harm on his personal and professional development, according to Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick.
A Path Built on Prior Playoff Heartbreak
Bauman's football resume stretches back to a signature freshman moment at Tulane, where as a freshman in January 2023 he caught the game-winning 6-yard touchdown pass with nine seconds left in a 46-45 win over USC in the Cotton Bowl, according to On3. MLive reported that Bauman scored seven touchdowns in 2024. Over three seasons at Tulane, he hauled in 63 receptions for 610 yards and 13 touchdowns before transferring to Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, for the 2025 season.
That lone season with the Hurricanes ended on a far rougher note. In Miami's 27-21 loss to Indiana in the College Football Playoff National Championship in January 2026, Bauman missed a key blocking assignment on Indiana defensive end Mikail Kamara, a miscue that led to a blocked punt returned for a touchdown in the third quarter, according to Roundtable. Bauman finished the 2025 season with 18 catches for 166 yards and one touchdown as Miami reached the College Football Playoff and played in the championship game.
Why Michigan Needs Him Now
With Michigan set to face Penn State on Saturday, October 17, the Wolverines need playmakers. Tight end Zack Marshall made disparaging comments about coordinator Jason Beck in a group message.
Bauman was not in an NFL camp or rookie minicamp and did not play in preseason games before seeking his return to college ball, according to Canes Warning.
A Nationwide Legal Tangle Still Unresolved
Bauman's case sits inside a much larger legal fight that has been reshaping Division I rosters all year. The NCAA adopted an age-based five seasons in five years eligibility rule effective August 1, 2026, eliminating traditional redshirts but explicitly excluding the 2022 high school class to preserve roster limits following the House v. NCAA settlement, according to Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney. That exclusion prompted U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney to issue a nationwide preliminary injunction on July 25, 2026, in Wisne v. NCAA, temporarily allowing Class of 2022 athletes to play a fifth season on federal antitrust grounds, as explained by Steptoe.
As of August 17, the appeal was pending and no stay was in place, according to RosterWise's account of the case. During oral arguments on October 13, a three-judge panel of the 10th Circuit expressed skepticism toward the plaintiffs' antitrust market definition, questioning whether 2022 athletes across different sports suffered quantifiable economic harm, per the Associated Press, with judges noting differences in earning potential and interchangeability between revenue and non-revenue sports.
Bauman's Case Remains in Court
Bauman's eligibility dispute is a civil lawsuit, not an NCAA infractions or disciplinary case.
