Penn State men’s basketball forward Josh Reed will return to the program for the upcoming season after receiving a fifth year of eligibility from an injunction, the team announced Thursday afternoon.

While U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney granted all high school class of 2022 athletes who exhausted their fourth season of college eligibility this past spring eligibility for a fifth season in 2026-27, Reed was a part of a different lawsuit.

The Nittany Lion was among the plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed in Ohio late last month seeking inclusion in the NCAA’s new “5-in-5” eligibility model. On July 15, a judge granted a preliminary injunction to a group of 15 players, including Reed, AJ Storr, Chendall Weaver, and Jason Edwards, among others.

Reed spent his first three seasons of college basketball at Cincinnati and then transferred to Penn State for the 2025-26 season. He started 31 of 32 games, averaging 11.5 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game for the Nittany Lions, while shooting a team-high 87% from the free-throw line.

Reed’s return as an instant-impact player and leader further bolsters the influx of veteran experience on Penn State’s roster after being the youngest team in Power Four basketball just a season ago.