Ole Miss baseball’s fall scrimmage on Saturday came with a twist you wouldn’t have when the Rebels walked off the field in Omaha last June.
Judd Utermark and Will Furniss were out at a revamped Swayze Field, taking real reps, and each singled in the intrasquad. For two players whose 2027 eligibility has been stuck in legal limbo for more than two months, the simple fact that they played is the story.
Both are still listed on Ole Miss’ official fall roster as fifth‑year players. Not former players hanging around. Not guest participants. Actual rostered athletes.
And Saturday’s scrimmage confirmed what the roster already suggested: Ole Miss is treating them as part of the program while the eligibility fight continues.
That fight has been messy.
It started July 31, when Judge Charlotte Sweeney’s injunction in Wisne v. NCAA granted the high school class of 2022 a fifth season.
Utermark and Furniss announced on Aug. 19 that they were coming back. Two days later, the Tenth Circuit stayed the injunction while the NCAA’s appeal plays out.
That stay didn’t reverse the underlying decision, but it did pause its effect, leaving their 2027 eligibility unresolved.
Since then, everything has lived in the gray area.
NCAA rules draw a line between practice and competition, and they allow athletes with disputed eligibility to keep practicing while appeals or waiver requests are pending. There are even specific mechanisms that let athletes practice for a defined window while their eligibility case is being sorted out.
So participating in an intrasquad scrimmage doesn’t automatically mean they’re cleared for next spring. It does mean Ole Miss hasn’t moved on from them.
The school is letting them practice, letting them scrimmage, and keeping them on the roster while the legal process continues. That’s notable on its own. It’s even more notable because the timing is about to matter again.
The Tenth Circuit hears oral argument in Wisne on Oct. 13. The appellate stay is still in place, and the court hasn’t ruled on the merits.
Until it does, Utermark and Furniss are stuck in the same holding pattern they’ve been in since late August. They’re practicing. They’re playing in fall ball. They’re exploring their own personal options.
But they don’t yet know whether they’ll be eligible when the 2027 season arrives.
Saturday didn’t solve anything. It didn’t answer the big question.
But it did show something important.
Ole Miss still sees them as part of the team, and both players are acting like they intend to be ready if the door opens.
For now, that’s as much clarity as anyone gets. The next real update comes from Denver on Oct. 13.
