Josh Reed to Return to Penn State for Fifth Year After Judge Grants Injunction

Penn State men’s basketball celebrated just one player on Senior Day last year: forward Josh Reed. But following an injunction granted to the class of 2022 athletes, Reed will return to the Nittany Lions for the 2026-27 campaign.

In June, the NCAA introduced a new five-for-five rule, giving all student-athletes five seasons of eligibility, essentially eliminating redshirts and attempting to streamline the eligibility process. The initial ruling didn’t apply to the class of 2022 athletes who had recently completed their fourth season and were out of eligibility — like Reed — until the new ruling.

He was one of the original named plaintiffs who won a state court injunction granted by Judge Christopher Wagner. This initial victory granted him an exclusive transfer/return window and returned his 2026–27 eligibility.

Following the success of that case, U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Colorado granted a class-wide preliminary injunction. This forced the NCAA to extend a fifth season of eligibility to every Division I athlete from the high school class of 2022 across all sports.

On Thursday, Reed officially announced he’d be taking advantage of the fifth year and rejoining Penn State for the upcoming season, filling the 15th and final roster spot.

He was one of the Nittany Lions’ better scorers last season, averaging 11.5 points and adding 4.1 rebounds — second-most on the team. He also led the team in free-throw percentage at 87.2%. Previously, he spent three seasons with Cincinnati in a rotational role, averaging fewer than five points per season.