TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida State men’s basketball got a frontcourt boost from a courtroom in Tallahassee on Monday. Leon County Judge David Frank granted Alex Steen an injunction that gives him one more season of eligibility, which means Steen can now suit up in games for the Seminoles in 2026-27.
Steen sued in August, arguing he deserved the extra year under the NCAA’s newer five-seasons-in-five-years eligibility model. That framework covers athletes from the high school class of 2023 onward, leaving players from the class of 2022 like Steen to fight for the same treatment. His first request was turned down on Sept. 10, but the decision went his way on appeal Monday, with the ruling delivered over Zoom.
Steen spent his first three college seasons at the Division II level and never redshirted before he transferred to Florida State ahead of last season. He had stepped away from a pro career and stayed enrolled in classes, so NCAA rules let him practice with the team throughout the preseason. In his one season with the Seminoles he put up 6.8 points per game and led the team with 5.8 rebounds a night.
Head coach Luke Loucks pushed hard for Steen in public, both on social media and at news conferences. His return gives Florida State another option inside next to Marcis Ponder, the 7-foot freshman who had 13 points and 21 rebounds in a preseason exhibition against Auburn. Steen made the trip for that matchup as well.
Having Steen back could also keep two transfers, Sebastian Rancik from Colorado and Cooper Schwieger from Wake Forest, playing their natural forward spots rather than filling in at center. Steen’s first chance to play comes Saturday, Oct. 24, when Florida State faces LSU at 1 p.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee.
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