UNLV defensive lineman Cohen Fuller will not be available for the Rebels’ season opener, at least for now, after a federal judge denied his request for a temporary restraining order on Friday.
The ruling from Chief U.S. District Judge Andrew Gordon leaves Fuller currently ineligible to play when UNLV opens the season on Saturday against the University of Memphis.
How the case reached this point
Fuller sued the NCAA in June after the association said he had exhausted his eligibility after playing at UNLV for the 2025 season. His case was tied to NCAA eligibility rules and to prior court rulings involving players who graduated from high school in 2022.
That background mattered because a separate ruling on July 31 from Denver U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney said many players in that class who had run out of playing time under NCAA eligibility rules could compete in a fifth season. After that decision, Gordon said Fuller would be able to play, but a federal appeals court later paused that injunction.
What Friday’s ruling means
Friday’s denial means Fuller does not have the immediate legal protection he was seeking to get on the field. Gordon told Fuller, “Mr. Fuller, I’m sorry,” and added, “Best wishes. I hope things work out.”
UNLV responded by saying, “With today’s ruling, Cohen is currently ineligible to play.”
Geoffrey Tabor, speaking for Fuller, said the player, his teammates and his coaches all want him on the field. The NCAA’s attorneys argued that every game Fuller misses is a loss of experience, but they also said the same would be true for any properly eligible player who would be displaced if Fuller were granted emergency relief. They noted that only eleven Rebels can take the field at a time on Saturday.
Fuller’s lawyers countered that players are not interchangeable and that not all players have the same impact on a team. For now, though, the practical result is simple: UNLV is preparing for its opener without Fuller unless the legal fight takes another turn.
