Rylan Griffen sat out only one game after losing his first round in court. A new temporary restraining order cleared him to play Friday night, and he was on the floor at Reed Arena for the Aggies' 104-67 rout of Northern Kentucky.
Coach Bucky McMillan acknowledged the order in his postgame remarks but would not discuss its details. "He recently got a TRO, and so he's allowed to play with us and I can't talk more about it," McMillan told KBTX. A team spokesperson also declined further comment.
As of Friday night, KBTX reported, it was not clear whether the new order had been issued by a court in Texas or in another state.
How he got here
Griffen, a 6-foot-5 guard from the 2022 recruiting class, played two seasons at Alabama and one at Kansas before transferring to A&M for the 2025-26 season.
Over the summer the NCAA adopted an eligibility system built on age, allowing five seasons of play within five years, and largely eliminated redshirt years and waivers. Athletes from the 2022 class who had already used four seasons before the change were left out, and hundreds of them have sued for a fifth year, according to KBTX.
Griffen first joined a group suit in Dallas County that won a restraining order. Some plaintiffs in that case had played professionally after four college seasons, which created a separate problem under Southeastern Conference rules, so he filed his own request in Brazos County and was granted a temporary order there.
