Kansas guard Jayden Dawson (1) addresses the crowd during the senior speeches following the Jayhawks’ 104-85 win over the Wildcats on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

Former Kansas guard Jayden Dawson is one of 52 basketball players taking on the NCAA in a lawsuit filed on Thursday in Guilford County, North Carolina, court.

Dawson, who spent one season with the Jayhawks after playing three at Loyola-Chicago, is part of the latest group of four-year players from the high school class of 2022 seeking legal relief in order to become eligible for the 2026-27 season. They contend that the NCAA’s new five-year eligibility rule should apply to them as well, not just those whose college careers are either ongoing or will begin this coming year.

“Absent court order, Plaintiffs’ class will be excluded from the rule change and rosters for the 2026-27 season are almost all finalized with the last few roster spots going to players awarded eligibility by the courts,” reads the motion for an injunction. “Once those roster decisions are made and announced, Plaintiffs will lose roster spots that cannot be recovered.”

The lawsuit (Chisom Okpara et al. v. NCAA, after the Stanford player who is also among the plaintiffs) was filed by Greensboro, North Carolina, attorney Andrew G. Pinto of Pinto Coates Kyre & Bowers. It follows a variety of successful legal efforts in other jurisdictions along similar terms, most notably one in Ohio earlier this month that allowed 24 athletes an injunction for immediate eligibility.

KU coach Bill Self said on Wednesday that the Ohio effort also may have inspired Melvin Council Jr.’s lawsuit against the NCAA in Douglas County court, one filed last week that operates on somewhat different terms as Council has already played five seasons.

As for Dawson, he arrived at KU in the spring of 2025 after a productive junior year in which he started all 32 games at Loyola-Chicago and averaged 13.9 points per game, but he never found a consistent role with the Jayhawks at any point after a late-November wrist injury.

He entered the portal without any remaining eligibility in the spring, telling the Journal-World at the time that he was seeking a waiver for his freshman year, which had been cut short by a broken hand.

“I’m just looking for a fresh start to prove myself one last time,” he wrote in a text message in April. “Obviously this year didn’t pan out the way I thought it would so I’m just looking for another opportunity so I can reinvent myself.”

The Okpara lawsuit features a variety of other familiar names beyond Dawson’s. Other plaintiffs include Donovan Atwell (Texas Tech), Dallin Hall (Virginia), Malik Reneau (Miami) and the N.C. State trio of Tre Holloman, Ven-Allen Lubin and Darrion Williams.