Several NFL players have been granted the opportunity to return to college football ahead of this season. Most would agree that the development is just the latest item added to the laundry list of reasons that prove that this era of college football is broken.
A total of 16 players from the class of 2022 were granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA on August 20 that grants them a fifth year of eligibility. Former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright and former LSU defensive end Jack Pyburn, who are both on NFL training camp rosters, are among the players headlining the group.
Despite the likes of Wright and Pyburn suiting up for NFL teams in recent days during preseason action, and the college football season getting underway on August 29, the signed order in Louisiana grants players the ability to enter the transfer portal. Wright took advantage of his situation and reportedly entered the transfer portal. He also took the field for the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.
The assumption is that players battling for a spot on an NFL roster, even a team’s practice squad roster, could return to college football with the motivation of earning a substantial payday.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, whose team could be in a position to benefit from the latest ruling, not only disapproves of the new development, but also listed the many reasons as to why.
“I think there’s a lot of negatives that are involved around this,” Lanning told the media following Oregon’s practice on Saturday. “One, once you go to the NFL, to me, you’re in the NFL. You don’t get the opportunity to come back. Two, most of us have built our rosters and you have a limited roster limit now. So if you invited somebody back to your team, that means you’re kicking somebody else off your team to match your roster limits. I don’t think that’s fair to the players that worked all summer, all spring and put themselves in position to be ready to work for a team to have somebody come back.”
Lanning isn’t saying anything that most college football fans and media members aren’t already thinking, but the head coach of one of the premier programs in the nation saying these things carries more weight than most.
The lawsuit that unfolded in Louisiana, which granted these new permissions for 16 players, took place after the NCAA announced a five-year, age-based eligibility model. Athletes will have five years to play five seasons, beginning with their 19th birthday or the day they enroll at a school, whichever takes place first.
