Just as the college football season is set to begin next weekend, there has been an influx of NFL players being given the chance to enter the transfer portal in hopes of joining a college roster over the next few weeks.
Are you confused or baffled any of that?
Trust me, you aren’t alone.
But thanks to one particular ruling in Louisiana this week, players who have at least signed some type of contract with an NFL team now have the opportunity to return for an additional season at the collegiate level.
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While most, if not all, of this sounds absurd right now, it can be traced back to the NCAA establishing new eligibility guidelines that afford athletes five years to play five seasons of college sports.
What we’re seeing play out in courtrooms across the country centers on the NCAA’s decision not to include the 2022 class under its new rules. That left players declaring for professional drafts under the impression that they had exhausted their collegiate eligibility, which they technically had under the old rules.
Brady Cook of the New York Jets is tackled by Jack Pyburn of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., on Aug. 14, 2026. (Getty Images)
NFL players hoping to return to college, thanks to courtroom rulings
On Thursday, former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright reportedly created a first, of many to come, in college football: He entered the NCAA transfer portal while under contract with an NFL team.
Wright is currently participating in training camp with the Cleveland Browns after initially signing a free-agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.
But, one of the bigger questions is who is actually pulling the strings for him to enter the transfer portal, without actually being enrolled at a school? Yes, these questions are being answered on the fly, which seems par for the course during this madness.
Technically, the court order from the Louisiana judge noted that a ‘member institution’ would have to enter his name into the database. Does that mean Ole Miss would accommodate Dae’Quan Wright, knowing he’s not enrolled in school?
Also, don’t forget, the SEC has a rule in-place that does not allow athletes to transfer within the conference outside of the portal period.
So, is Wright actually in the portal or is he planning to enter?
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Dae’Quan is one of a number of players who are either participating in NFL preseason camps or went through the draft process before being invited to camps across the league.
In this particular case, one of many currently unfolding across the country, 19th Judicial District Court Judge Will Jorden in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, granted the plaintiffs a temporary restraining order in their lawsuit against the NCAA.
The order also allows them to use a makeshift transfer portal that will remain open for seven days.
Dae’quan Wright No. 8 of the Ole Miss Rebels runs the ball against the Miami Hurricanes during the second half of the CFP semifinal Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at State Farm Stadium on Jan. 8, 2026, in Glendale, Ariz. (Getty Images)
There have been other cases as well, from California to South Carolina, with most of them going in the favor of athletes suing the NCAA over the eligibility guidelines enacted in June.
“The evidence in the record demonstrates that the NCAA has applied its rules inconsistently and arbitrarily, applying certain eligibility rules to certain athletes but not to others,” Chancellor I’Ashea Myles wrote in her recent ruling that denied an NCAA appeal in a Tennessee court.
Those types of statements from judges across the country have become increasingly common, leading to more lawsuits being filed against the NCAA by athletes hoping to receive similar relief while their underlying cases play out.
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You can also add former LSU starting defensive lineman Jack Pyburn to that list. He is currently battling for a spot on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 53-man roster.
And no, it probably shouldn’t shock you that the latest victory for plaintiffs suing the NCAA came in the same city LSU calls home.
Meanwhile, colleges are toeing the line between abiding by rules they voted to enact and trying to navigate a legal system that could allow them to add a few weapons to their rosters.
No, schools aren’t allowed to file these lawsuits on behalf of athletes. But the way things are going, the day might not be far off when a school sues its own conference over enforcement of rules pertaining to intra-conference transfers.
Schools are protected from retribution and future penalties for adding these players
These athletes are not eligible under current NCAA rules. But judges granting them the opportunity to return to college athletics are also shielding schools that add them to their rosters from punishment by the organization.
Essentially, if a school adds one of these players under the protection of a court order, it is not at risk of NCAA punishment for doing so.
But here’s where things get even more awkward: For an athlete who has received money during the NFL process to take the field again in college, that money may have to be repaid.
Remember Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter?
The Vols starter declared for the NFL Draft but withdrew his name from consideration after discovering a few weeks into the process that a foot injury would prevent him from participating in pre-draft workouts.
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Arion Carter No. 7 of the Tennessee Volunteers celebrates a third-down stop during a game against Alabama at Neyland Stadium on Oct. 19, 2024, in Knoxville, Tenn. (Getty Images)
So, he returned to Tennessee.
But to regain his eligibility, Carter had to repay $427 that was provided for a plane ticket.
Seems pretty small compared to what we’re seeing right now, huh?
Carter was also suspended for the first two games of the 2026 season because he initiated the NFL process. For now, Arion has not filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in hopes of having that suspension overturned.
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Going forward, expect more lawsuits from athletes looking for an additional year of college eligibility.
“This is just the second quarter, and we’re all having to make decisions on how to deal with this,” one Big Ten personnel staffer told OutKick. “If the NCAA wins their appeal in Colorado, then it will just lead to more lawsuits filed at the state level. If they (NCAA) lose, then you could see teams adding players to their rosters as late as October.
“Have a spot open up because of injury or you move the chess-pieces around with roster limits, there are players you could potentially add from an NFL practice squad. I wish I was kidding.”
If you haven’t figured it out yet, the college athletics world has been turned upside down over the past few months.
Will the NCAA finally tap out and grant a blanket waiver to everyone in the 2022 class who technically has another year of eligibility under the new guidelines but was excluded from the recent rule change?
The pressure is clearly mounting as the NCAA continues fighting these cases across the country, while more players with NFL “experience” contemplate filing lawsuits of their own for the chance to return to college.
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At this point, the idea of going from an NFL practice squad back to a college football roster doesn’t sound nearly as crazy as it would’ve just a few months ago.
