Larry Williams (#56) will receive a sixth-year of eligibility.

The NCAA voted to change the parameters on the rule regarding players eligible for an additional year of eligibility and, as a result, Oklahoma State officials are confident that when they reapply for an additional year for offensive guard Larry Williams he will qualify to receive the extra year of eligibility for the upcoming 2018 season.

Oklahoma State has had an extension request into the NCAA since Williams went down with an injury last season and had been waiting for an answer on the results. In the meantime, the NCAA Division I Council has been examining and preparing to vote on this rule change. Williams' clock (five years to play four seasons) started in 2013 when he red-shirted at East Carolina coming out of Laney High School in Wilimington, North Carolina. He played at East Carolina as a red-shirt freshman in 2014, transferred and played at Hutchinson Community College earning All-American honors in 2015. In 2016 he started the first five games of the season at guard for Oklahoma State before suffering a season ending injury. Last season he started the first three games before an injury in practice the week of the Big 12 opener against TCU ended his season. Williams played 29 quarters, less than eight games out of the 26 Oklahoma State played, over the past two seasons.

Larry Williams blocking for Mason Rudolph in last season's opener vs. Tulsa.

The rule the NCAA Division I Council approved to amend has to do with waivers to the "clock" rule that an athlete has five years to participate in four seasons. Red-shirts under the previous rule were not considered in the determination of allowing an athlete an extra year for missed competition for reasons out of his or her control. The waiver criteria for the rule now reads this way as it was approved on Wednesday, April 18.

(a) The student-athlete did not use a season of intercollegiate competition in his or her initial year of full-time, collegiate enrollment due to an institutional decision to redshirt the student-athlete; the student-athlete was listed on the institution's squad list and was eligible for competition during the segment of the season that concludes with the NCAA championship; and the student-athlete was deprived of the opportunity to participate in intercollegiate competition in one other season due to circumstances beyond the control of the student-athlete or institution; or

(b) The student-athlete is deprived of the opportunity to participate for more than one season in his or her sport within the five-year period of eligibility for reasons that are beyond the control of the student-athlete or the institution.

Oklahoma State will now resubmit Williams for an extra year of eligibility and he will qualify under the amended rule.

Also, the NCAA Division I Council tabled the proposal to allow football red-shirts to play in up to four games (three non conference games and a bowl game) in a season and still retain red-shirt status and a year of eligibility. The likely reason it was tabled according to our sources was that it was a rule change that only applied to football and the committee likely wanted to see it written as a rule that would apply to most or all NCAA sports rather than only one.

As more news becomes available, we'll be sure to update.