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Not too long ago, Brett Karhu’s days fell into a familiar routine. The 22-year-old would wake up, drink the smoothie his wife made for him and arrive at work around 7 a.m., the start of another day as a residential construction manager in McKinney, Texas.
Upon his arrival, Karhu would schedule employees for various jobs — pouring a slab or framing a house, for instance — at different sites. Later on, he’d go out and make sure the work was actually being done.
On time, too.
“A lot of the time, in order to get things done by your deadline, you end up having to do it yourself,” New Mexico’s fifth-year defensive end said Wednesday. “So I was kinda learning the whole construction trade as well.”
On the side, Karhu quietly kept training. Sure, he had already been denied a waiver for an additional year of college football once. But after the NCAA shifted to an age-based eligibility model in June, he rolled the dice and quit construction management to train full time, holding out hope that a fifth year of college football was on the way.
Friday, his wish was granted – just in time, too.
Karhu was one of two Lobos who returned to practice with UNM on Wednesday after a class-wide preliminary injunction allotted a fifth year of eligibility to athletes who graduated high school in 2022 and finished their fourth season earlier this year.
Handed down by a federal judge on Friday, the injunction effectively undoes the NCAA’s decision to not grant players like Karhu a fifth year through its new eligibility model. Better known as the “five-for-five” rule, the policy allows athletes five years to play five seasons starting with their full-time enrollment or the season after their 19th birthday, whichever comes first.
But while the NCAA gave players from other classes a fifth year of eligibility, it declined to give one to the class of 2022 athletes, claiming their presence would “destabilize” rosters. That decision led to a slew of separate lawsuits — and as of late, losses for the NCAA in court — challenging the NCAA’s application of the five-for-five rule.
Karhu filed one of those suits in July. And like others, he may need that separate injunction if an NCAA appeal reverses the one he’s currently playing under.
“I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet,” head coach Jason Eck said Wednesday.
At least for now, Karhu is thrilled to be back in another familiar routine.
“I was working on getting a coaching job when this all happened,” he said. “So I was gonna get back to ball one way or another.”
Karhu’s return started in earnest at his mom’s house in Texas, where he first found out about the injunction Friday. After waiting out the weekend, he got the “green light” from Eck to drive nine-and-a-half hours back to Albuquerque on Monday.
Since returning, he said he’s been impressed with UNM’s new additions since the end of last season.
“Like, if you went out there last year and look at the depth compared to what we have now, this looks like a Power Four team — seriously — depth-wise,” he added.
One of Karhu’s first calls after learning Friday’s news was to safety Azariah Levells, another Lobo who fits the parameters of the injunction. The latter said he was playing EA Sports College Football 26 with his brother when he realized he was getting multiple calls at once.
“I’m like, ‘alright, this is suspicious,’” he said. “So I answered (Karhu’s) phone call. He’s like, ‘you know you’re eligible, right?’”
After confirming he was, in fact, eligible, Levells initially planned on making the 16-hour drive from northern California so he could have his car in Albuquerque.
“But coach Eck ended up calling me the very next morning saying, ‘we need you out here today,’” he said. “So I’m like, shoot, (on the) first flight, you feel me? When bossman makes the call, you gotta answer.”
Jason Eck on DE Brett Karhu and DB Azariah Levells returning to UNM via preliminary injunction: “I don’t think we’re out of the woods yet. The NCAA is still gonna try and appeal … As of right now, they’re eligible and we’re gonna proceed that way until we hear different.” https://t.co/qa1T0dlqwn pic.twitter.com/srJgbIezWt
— Sean Reider (@lenaweereider) August 5, 2026
For UNM, the appeal for both Karhu and Levells’ returns isn’t hard to see. In Karhu, the Lobos get a proven defensive end who immediately alleviates concerns about their pass rush after losing Keyshawn James-Newby (9 sacks last season) to the NFL.
In Levells, UNM gets a veteran who can provide position versatility and depth in a secondary that could use a little more.
“(Levells) was a good depth piece last year,” Eck said. “(He) played some when we had injuries in the back end and did a good job on special teams all year.”
Karhu and Levells might not be the only players who could return. Eck said UNM is looking into whether honorable mention All-Mountain West kicker Luke Drzewiecki could return following Friday’s ruling.
Could UNM actually get K Luke Drzewiecki back for a fifth year?
Jason Eck said they’re looking into it. https://t.co/2aIQTsuNky pic.twitter.com/QXgZRY6jrh
— Sean Reider (@lenaweereider) August 5, 2026
Starting in 2022, Drzewiecki played four seasons in four years with the Lobos. But he graduated high school in 2021 before enrolling at UNM early, leaving some uncertainty over whether he fits into the parameters of the injunction.
“If we could add him, I think we’d certainly entertain it,” Eck said.
But if at least Karhu and Levells stick around, UNM might have to trim a player or two off its roster to accommodate them. As part of the House v. NCAA settlement, the program is subject to a hard roster cap of 105 players, not including designated student-athletes who don’t count towards the limit.
Eck said UNM has to certify its final roster before its first game on Sept. 5.
“We got a lot of stuff that could happen before the first game,” he added. “There could be injuries — if guys have season-ending injuries, it doesn’t count (towards ...
Two LobosNotBrett Karhu’sMcKinneyTexasUponKarhuLaterNew Mexico’sSo ISureNCAA
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