NFL Roster Cuts Drive College Returns Under NCAA Ruling
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- NFL-contracted players are exploring a return to college football despite Judge Charlotte Sweeney's Aug. 2 clarification that NCAA rules still bar signed professionals from returning, with teams remaining in contact with these players per CBS Sports sources.
- A group of 16 players were granted a temporary restraining order in Louisiana on Wednesday, clearing their path to return to college football in 2026.
- NFL roster cutdown day on Aug. 30 has driven undrafted free agents and released rookies to begin exploring a return to college.
- Former Arizona State All-Big 12 Myles Rowser was among a small group of players granted temporary restraining orders providing eligibility protection and transfer portal access regardless of how the Colorado ruling resolves.
- Indiana defensive lineman Stephen Daley, who posted 19 tackles for loss for the national champion Hoosiers last season, has returned to college after previously being out of eligibility.
- The NCAA remains awaiting a ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit on the Colorado preliminary injunction, with the college football season starting in just over a week.
Why it matters: The expansion from unsigned returnees to signed-NFL-contract players threatens to further scramble college football rosters days before kickoff, creating fresh uncertainty for programs managing scholarships and the transfer portal while the 10th Circuit weighs the underlying injunction.
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