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A federal judge ruled on Monday that an N.C. State football transfer is temporarily eligible to participate in team activities after the NCAA initially denied his waiver request.
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KaTron Evans is eligible until Aug. 24, prior to the Aug. 29 season opener, unless the order is extended, according to the ruling obtained by the News & Observer. The temporary restraining order was filed in the Eastern District of North Carolina on Friday.
The court will hold a teleconference on Aug. 18 for “establishing expedited schedule for address of plaintiff’s request for injunctive relief,” the document states.
Evans is eligible for practice, medical treatment and other program benefits, the order states.
Evans was removed from the N.C. State roster on July 28 after the NCAA denied his waiver request. He was moved to “alumni” status, according to court documents, meaning he is allowed to be with the team and access facilities but his participation is significantly limited.
In a detailed declaration to the courts, N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren outlined his relationship with Evans, reasons for the waiver and justification for Evans to receive an additional year of eligibility.
“Based on my 33 years of experience coaching college football, my knowledge of KaTron’s circumstances, and my assessment of and experience with the NCAA’s waiver process, it is my firm belief that KaTron lost a season of football eligibility due to circumstances beyond his control,” Doeren wrote, “and that the NCAA’s denial of his eligibility extension is causing him and our team immediate and ongoing irreparable harm.”
A transfer from Marshall, Evans joined the Wolfpack program in January. Compliance offices at both universities reportedly believed he would be granted a waiver this fall and complete his college career. The university applied for a waiver earlier this year.
First, Doeren — under the penalty of perjury — stated in the court filing that Marshall head coach Tony Gibson notified him of Evans. Gibson, who previously worked on Doeren’s staff at N.C. State, said Marshall did not have the scholarships or NIL funding to keep Evans but wanted to find the defensive tackle a place where he could play one final season. Both programs believed he had a case for a waiver.
Evans spent two seasons at Jackson State (2021-22), two seasons at Charlotte (2023-24) and one season at Marshall. He did not play in 2023.
Doeren said a close family member and “individual close to the family” were shot and killed during Evans’ time at Charlotte. Another one of Evans’ relatives died. A former friend and teammate died by suicide. Evans’ mother was nearly evicted. Social media posts by those close to Evans confirmed Doeren’s statements, while public records showed Evans’ mother faced eviction. Doeren said the events happened in the span of several months.
“I was not surprised to learn that those events led to academic hardship that put his eligibility in jeopardy and led to a year of academic ineligibility.” Doeren said. “I also learned that despite these hardships, KaTron fought to regain his academic eligibility, transferred to Marshall University, earned his bachelor’s degree, and became a captain.”
Doeren said Evans “did everything a young person could reasonably be expected to do to recover from a tragic set of circumstances and academic mismanagement.”
Evans enrolled at N.C. State last spring and made a positive impression, Doeren said. The longtime head coach called the transfer “professional, always on time and ready to do whatever the team needs.” Evans’ life experiences created a rare level of maturity and motivation, Doeren added in the statement.
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The declaration further explains the negative impact Evans’ inelgibilty has on the player but on the team. He is not allowed to participate in practice or coached weight programs, receive team-provided food nor provide him with medical care that the program offers.
Evans was expected to be a key part of the defense, with coaches planning the scheme around eight available players. Without Evans, it must have players crosstrain for multiple positions. He recorded 34 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery. With the departures of Brandon Cleveland and Chazz Wallace, many anticipated Evans to serve as a replacement.
The NCAA notified N.C. State on July 24 that Evans’ waiver was denied.
“Any time you lose anybody, it concerns you,” Doeren said on the first day of fall camp. “We knew when we signed him that he needed waivers. We’ve made plans with him and plans without him. It’s not a surprise, but it is a disappointment because there’s a lot of cases in the past that were definitely similar that were passed in a positive way. We support him and everything that he’s going to do to continue to fight, and we’ll see where it ends up.”
Doeren said in the filing that Evans falls further behind each day he is not allowed to participate. It also puts his health in jeopardy the longer he goes without training.
“As a 340-pound nose guard graduate student, we expect him to play more snaps than any other player at his position,” Doeren stated. “He is one of the strongest players on our roster and brings a skill set — a combination of size, strength, experience and maturity — that no other player on our team possesses.”
According to the roster, defensive linemen Steven Stokes (324 pounds) and AJ Prim (300 pounds) are the two players closest to Evans’ size.
“To be clear, KaTron is not taking the roster spot of another potential athlete,” Doeren said. “That spot is his and no one else will be able to fill that role.”
Evans’ inability to compete not only impacts him physically, it impacts his current and future financial opportunities.
Doeren said Evans was expected to receive one-third of his NIL payment in the offseason and two-thirds in the fall. His monthly payment was expected to increase 50% in July when the larger in-season payments began. Evans used his NIL funds to help support his family. Doeren said Evans is “being deprived of the substantial majority of his NIL compensation at a time when his family depends on it.”
Additionally, Doeren said Evans has the ability to play in the NFL. He called it a “generational, life-changing situation” for a player like Evans. Sitting out an entire year without competition ahead of the NFL draft evaluation would “gravely diminish” his prospects, Doeren wrote.
“Beyond the physical and financial harm, I can see that KaTron is enduring the mental toll of uncertainty,” Doeren said, “forcibly separated from the team he was part of just days ago, unable to prepare for the season and wondering what will happen to his future.”
This story was originally published August 10, 2026 at 2:51 PM with the headline “NC State player receives temporary eligibility. What Dave Doeren told the judge.”
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