Kentucky appeals court dissolves injunction that granted 38 players, including Thomas Castellanos, Seth Trimble and Mark Mitchell, a fifth year of eligibility

Could quarterback Thomas Castellanos' time at Texas Tech already be over?

On Friday, the Kentucky Court of Appeals ruled against athletes from the class of 2022 who had been granted a fifth year of eligibility via a temporary injunction. According to On3 , a hearing is scheduled in the matter for Oct. 9 as the lawsuit is still pending.

Castellanos was part of a group of players who had successfully been granted a fifth season of eligibility in the 2026-27 school year in Kentucky. And while players have had their state court efforts upheld — or at least not yet overturned — the players who filed suit in Kentucky are now ineligible. No. 12 Texas Tech plays at Colorado on Saturday.

Friday's ruling is another sign of how haphazard and chaotic the NCAA's attempted implementation of its five-for-five rule has been. Over the summer, the NCAA announced that all players would have five school years to play five seasons starting with the 2026-27 athletic seasons. However, players who had played their fourth season in four school years in 2025-26 were not given a fifth year of eligibility.

The August suit involved 38 players, including former North Carolina basketball player Seth Trimble and former Missouri basketball player Mark Mitchell, along with Castellanos. Mitchell and Trimble, too, are ineligible. But their seasons haven't started yet. Mitchell was set to go to Kentucky before returning to Missouri. Trimble transferred to Louisville.

Kentucky linebacker Alex Afari is also among the players who are suddenly ineligible. Afari has 11 tackles through four games so far this season.

Castellanos was a late addition to Texas Tech's roster and has appeared in four games for the Red Raiders and attempted four passes as a backup to Will Hammond that went for 35 yards and two touchdowns in special play packages. He also threw an interception on the opening play of the Red Raiders' Week 3 win over Houston. He has rushed 10 times for 44 yards and two scores.

Before joining Texas Tech, Castellanos spent his freshman season at UCF. He played five games for the Knights before transferring to Boston College. He was the Eagles' starting QB in 2023 and for the start of the 2024 season before he was moved to the bench. He transferred to Florida State in 2025, where he was the Seminoles' starter and threw for over 2,700 yards, rushed for over 550 yards and had 24 total touchdowns.