Louisiana Order Allows NFL Players Back in College Football
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- A Louisiana judge issued an order Wednesday allowing double-digit football players — including Tampa Bay edge rusher Jack Pyburn and Cleveland Browns tight end Dae'Quan Wright — to return to college football in 2026, barring the NCAA from enforcing rules against players who signed professional contracts.
- Dae'Quan Wright entered the transfer portal on Thursday, one day after the ruling, while Pyburn recorded two sacks in his preseason debut and is still in the mix for Tampa Bay's 53-man roster.
- College football front offices expect a flood of new lawsuits, with a Big 12 GM telling CBS Sports 'We need a player or two. Saturate the market, baby,' and undrafted rookies likely to file before the NFL's Aug. 30 roster cutdown day.
- LSU and Ole Miss are among programs interested in bringing back former players via the portal, though SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sent a memo this month reaffirming the league's intraconference transfer ban after the deadline; sources say LSU could try to circumvent it.
- Roster limits of 105 athletes remain in place, but SEC and Big 12 staffers told CBS Sports teams can work around the cap by cutting walk-ons or using medical exceptions, and compliance work to clear a returning player has already taken weeks at some schools.
- The NCAA is appealing the earlier Colorado TRO to the 10th Circuit; if it wins, 2022 athletes like Indiana defensive linemen Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt could lose eligibility, though players in separate lawsuits like Pyburn's would remain cleared.
Why it matters: With kickoff one week away, the ruling gives LSU, Ole Miss and other contenders legal cover to add former NFL talent through the portal while the NCAA's authority to enforce amateurism rules continues to erode in court. Programs that hold open roster spots gain a late talent edge; SEC schools face an internal fight over whether Greg Sankey's intraconference transfer ban survives the chaos.
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