Former Purdue star Trey Kaufman-Renn took a major step toward securing a sixth year of eligibility on Wednesday when Clark County Circuit Court No. 6 Judge Kyle P. Williams granted him a temporary restraining order against the NCAA. There is no court date set for Kaufman-Renn to determine whether he will be granted a preliminary injunction.
Kaufman-Renn, a 2021 high school graduate, is seeking a sixth year and fifth season of eligibility to play during the 2026-27 season. Despite being granted a TRO, his path to suiting up is far more complicated than his peers who graduated high school a year later and are arguing to be included in the new age-based eligibility model the NCAA introduced earlier this summer. During his freshman season at Purdue, Kaufman-Renn didn't suit up after suffering a knee injury in early November 2021 that required surgery.
After redshirting, Kaufman-Renn played four subsequent seasons and developed into one of the best forwards in college basketball. Minnesota selected Kaufman-Renn with the No. 59 pick in June's NBA Draft, but he reportedly never signed a contract with Minnesota, Kaufman-Renn said that he has been in contact with at least "six or seven schools." If he is granted a preliminary injunction to play this season, Kaufman-Renn would instantly become one of the best and most experienced players on the market. Here are some destinations for Kaufman-Renn as he fights to be eligible for a sixth year.
This fits into the "why not" category. LSU has been aggressive in using court rulings to field a roster for this season with players who may or may not be eligible. Even though LSU has RJ Luis Jr. (technically) on its roster, Kaufman-Renn's case is still more complicated.
Luis left college early for the draft and can argue that he would still fit in the five-for-five model. For Kaufman-Renn, he would fit under five-for-five because he had five years to play five college seasons. To counter that point, Kaufman-Renn can argue that he wouldn't have taken the redshirt season had he known this might be the case.
The Tigers have four players guaranteed to be eligible and a handful more — like Luis, Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark — who are temporarily eligible. It would be ironic if LSU added Kaufman-Renn because it would solidify the all-in strategy of building a roster of players who might not play this season. Kentucky has a vacancy at the forward spot after Mitchell elected to return to Missouri after initially committing to Kentucky.
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