Canadian defensive back Jett Elad will be allowed to play for Rutgers University in 2025 after a U.S. federal court issued a preliminary injunction in his lawsuit against the NCAA.
United States District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi ruled the NCAA must waive eligibility rules that would preclude Elad from participating this year in order to prevent financial harm while the case is pending. The court leaned on testimony from Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano, who stated the safety could have a future in the NFL if he was allowed to play for his team.
Elad transferred to Rutgers University in January where he is set to earn $500,000 in NIL (name, image, and likeness) funds in 2025. However, the NCAA initially ruled that he had exhausted his collegiate eligibility, prompting the lawsuit.
The case builds on the precedent set by Diego Pavia, a quarterback at Vanderbilt University, who was granted additional eligibility by the courts after arguing the NCAA was unjustly limiting his earning potential by counting years spent at the junior college level. As Elad spent the 2022 season at Garden City Community College, he believes he should regain that year of eligibility, just as Pavia has from his time at the New Mexico Military Institute.
Last year, Elad was a finalist for the Jon Cornish Trophy at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) where he recorded 84 total tackles, five tackles for loss, one interception, one sack, seven pass knockdowns, and one fumble recovery over 14 games. He was also named an All-Mountain West honourable mention at safety.
The Mississauga, Ont. native started his collegiate career at Ohio University in 2019 where he redshirted with the Bobcats. He dressed for 12 games over the next two years, making 46 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, and four pass knockdowns.
Elad dressed for 10 games at Garden City Community College in 2022, making 31 total tackles and one tackle for loss. In 2023, his first season at UNLV, he recorded 57 total tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, six pass knockdowns, and one fumble recovery.
The six-foot-one, 205-pound defender was originally the No. 11-ranked prospect on the 2025 CFL Draft scouting bureau rankings. Elad wasn’t featured on the subsequent rankings as the league granted his one-year deferral, pushing him to the 2026 CFL Draft.
