Ever since Torrey Stafford left Marymount High School in Los Angeles as one of the top volleyball recruits in the nation in 2023, the 6-foot-2 outside hitter has eyed Europe as a likely destination.
Play four years of college volleyball. Sign a contract in one of Europe’s lucrative professional leagues. See some of the world while playing the game she loves.
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Seems like a good plan for a player that likes to set goals, right?
But the NCAA’s new rules that grant current student-athletes five full years of eligibility give Stafford and plenty of other Longhorns an unexpected option. Stafford, who transferred to Texas volleyball from Pittsburgh prior to last season, will wrap up her fourth collegiate season this fall semester but can now play another year of college volleyball.
“All my teammates, it’s like the running joke,” Stafford said. “Every day, they’re telling me, ‘You’re coming back next year.’ Our coaches are doing the same thing.”
Stafford’s teammates, coaches and every Texas volleyball fan have good reasons to want her back. She has earned All-American honors in each of her first three seasons and showed off her versatility with a match-high 19 kills and 12 digs in Monday’s five-set win over Marquette that gave No. 2 Texas (1-1) its first win of the season.
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But Stafford said any decision about next year will come after this season, which continued for Texas this weekend in Las Vegas against No. 18 TCU and No. 1 Nebraska.
“I’ve been really trying to be present because obviously there’s so many opportunities overseas that I’ve been thinking about, like, for all my life after college,” Stafford said. “I think that my decision is really going to come when I’m done this year. I’m trying to be present with the team now. But, obviously, it’s great to be having the opportunity to stay in college and train with the amazing coaches that I have. So, we shall see.”
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Texas Longhorns outside hitter Torrey Stafford (4) returns a serve during the game against Texas A&M at Reed Arena on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in College Station, Texas.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Jerritt Elliott: Texas volleyball coach ‘loves’ 5-for-5 rule
Those options for Stafford and other student-athletes took shape in June when the NCAA approved a new eligibility model for Division I athletes that will allow five seasons of competition over a five-year period beginning with their full-time enrollment or the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever occurs first.
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Previously, athletes had five years to complete four seasons of competition with their eligibility clock starting at the time of enrollment, regardless of age.
The new eligibility model, dubbed the “five-for-five” rule, all but eliminates waivers or redshirt seasons for extended eligibility except for religious missions, maternity leave or active-duty military service. Extensions for injured athletes no longer exist.
The new rule will affect all athletes who enroll in 2027-28. Currently enrolled athletes and those who are incoming freshmen this fall can apply the age-based model or continue under previous eligibility rules. That means athletes like Stafford who just started their fourth season now have one more year of eligibility after the 2026-27 school year.
It also means coaches no longer have the often awkward decision of exposing a freshman with talent to limited action at the expense of costing them a full season, which makes the new rule particularly appealing to Texas volleyball coach Jerritt Elliott and Longhorns football coach Steve Sarkisian.
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“I love it,” Elliott said. “I think it’s a great opportunity. I mean, there’s times when you have a kid that you want to redshirt but maybe have some opportunities to be able to get in there and play. It’s obviously going to make our sport a lot better with the level of play with five years. It’s just really special.”
For Elliott, that means a young athlete like 17-year-old middle blocker Camille Presley — an Austin High graduate who reclassified from the 2027 recruiting class to 2026 and joined Texas in August — can now get valuable experience without sacrificing a season.
Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian yells instructions during practice on fan day at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Aril 18, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
Steve Sarkisian: Texas football coach glad to get rid of redshirts
Sarkisian agrees with Elliott, saying potential playing time serves as a powerful incentive for underclassmen trying to figure out the collegiate game. In the past, football players could play in four games without “burning” a redshirt, the longtime parlance for using up one of a player’s four seasons of eligibility. That often meant talented youngsters would play in nonconference games in September before sitting out the rest of the season.
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Now, those same freshmen can make their case for more playing time, Sarkisian said.
“I like it, (and) I think that, especially for our younger players, it’s motivating for them to know in any way, shape, or form — in any capacity — that they can contribute to our success on game day, that they can have a role on the team,” he said. “It’s worth it if it’s covering five kicks, if it’s getting in a game late and getting those eight snaps at the end of a game, maybe when you have a lead and how valuable those reps are.”
And Sarkisian and his staff can now avoid those difficult decisions about playing time that plague coaches in every sport.
“A guy plays three games early in the year, and you’re in week eight and it’s like, well, I don’t know if I want to play Billy because if I play him, I might burn his redshirt,” Sarkisian said. “Well, but he’s earning his way close to playing time. We don’t have to worry about that stuff anymore. Now, we really can just keep developing all of our players. When they earn their opportunities, we can put them out there. They can play. They can compete. I think that is healthy for the psyche of the young men now more than ever.”
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Texas quarterback Arch Manning (16) and offensive lineman Brandon Baker after a win against Kentucky on Oct. 18, 2025, at Kroger Field in Lexington.
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NCAA rules: 5-for-5 will help quell current eligibility chaos, say players
It’s also healthy for the sanity of the game considering the myriad ongoing court cases concerning eligibility, say coaches and athletes.
Hundreds of athletes from the 2022 class who used up their four years of eligibility in the spring of 2026 continue to their court battles to get a fifth season. That group includes Texas football offensive lineman Cole Hutson, who’s currently on the Longhorns’ roster.
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While Hutson is expected to remain with Texas since he never signed an NFL contract, athletes such as former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright won’t be eligible to sign a contract with LSU since it violates SEC rules imposed Tuesday that prevent athletes who previously signed professional contracts to return to the conference’s athletics.
In theory, the five-for-five rule will eliminate such court battles by the start of the 2027-28 school year.
“They have to do something,” said Texas linebacker Justin Cryer, a transfer from Florida State who’s entering his fourth season. “Things are getting kind of crazy. With all the crazy stuff going on right now, I knew they were going to do something about it.”
So, from a player’s perspective, does Cryer like the new five-for-five rule?
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“I don’t think it’s a bad thing necessarily,” he said. “I feel like with any rule change or anything that the NCAA does nowadays, there’s going to be some sort of controversy involving it. I think for where we are right now, I think it’ll be a good thing going forward, and we’ll just have to see what it looks like. There’s definitely some crazy things going on right now, but I mean, somebody had to do something about it.”
Texas Longhorns volleyball coach Jerritt Elliott walks to athletic director Chris Del Conte ahead of the women’s basketball game against Oklahoma at the Moody Center on Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026 in Austin.
Aaron E. Martinez/Austin American-Statesman
The new rule could also have a positive impact on high school recruits, said Brandon Baker, a starting offensive guard for the Texas football team.
In the past, talented 18-year-olds often had to compete against a sixth-year college student for playing time. Now, players like former Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia — who famously won a court battle that granted him a sixth year of eligibility — will have to leave college athletics after five seasons since the NCAA’s five-for-five rules also apply to junior college.
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“Young guys coming in knowing that they’re not going to have to compete against the 25-year-old senior, a seventh- or eighth-year senior, I feel like that would be a great transition for college football moving forward,” Baker said.
Baker and his 2024 classmates could also be among the first to benefit from the rule, depending on Baker’s NFL options. A junior about to begin his third season, Baker didn’t redshirt as a freshman after playing in eight games in 2024. He started in all 13 games last season at right tackle and projects as Texas’ starting right guard this season.
With the 5-for-5 rule, Baker will have the option to serve as an anchor for the Longhorns’ offensive line through the 2028 season.
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