While the majority of student-athletes complete their athletic eligibility within four years, a select few choose to extend their athletic careers. In 2021, the NCAA Division III committee granted all athletes whose seasons were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic an extra year of athletic eligibility in their respective sports. This allowed athletes to be able to return for a fifth year if they chose to in order to accomplish their goals or to further build relationships within their team.
“The relationships and the camaraderie you build as a team, I would say that’s a big pro [for a fifth-year],” Fifth-Year Tim Swaney said. “Also, you get to play another year of football because when I’m 29-30 years old, there’s never going to be a time where I can say, ‘Oh, yeah, let me go back and play another year of football.’”
Players of the football team took advantage of the extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic in order to extend their athletic careers and further improve their game. Currently, the football team has ten Fifth-Year seniors on their roster, making them seasoned veterans at their sport.
One player who came back for a fifth season was senior Jacob Uhlmann. Uhlmann was a sophomore during the pandemic-affected season in 2020 and remembers his feelings during it.
“I remember being here during COVID. It was just absolute chaos, and it was football year-round,” Uhlmann said. “It didn’t feel like a true football season, so it felt great to have just that extra year of a normal season and be able to play.”
Many factors influence each athlete’s decision to return for an extra season. The reasons for returning for a fifth year may differ for each player. For Fifth-Year Bobby Inserra, the sense of family and brotherhood was a significant factor in his decision to return for a fifth year.
“I knew that our team could do well this year with many guys returning. We all kind of agreed that we would all come back together,” Inserra said. “I don’t think I would use the fifth year if many of them hadn’t returned. So my friends were a big factor in coming back for a fifth season.”
For Swaney, the feeling of having a lost senior season and wanting to return to the team was a leading factor in his decision. Swaney was a sophomore during the COVID-affected season but suffered from a torn ACL and MCL last season.
“A lot of my reason came from my knee. After tearing my ACL and MCL last year, I wanted to prove myself and return to the team,” Swaney said. “But also, I wanted to prove to myself that I’m coming back because I can recover from an injury like that.”
Current senior Cain Johnson is a part of the last class that can use the extra year of eligibility. He understands the pros and cons of staying an additional year and is still considering the decision.
“One of the cons is you wouldn’t be starting your life off, like getting a job and stuff like that. At the end of the day, once football is over, it’s over,” Johnson said. “My mother just talked with me about it and said she’ll support any decision I make. I feel that’s good to have all the time.”