Cole Hutson rejoins Texas after eligibility ruling
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- Cole Hutson rejoined Texas after U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney granted him a fifth year of eligibility last week; he had exhausted his eligibility last fall and gone undrafted in the NFL.
- Hutson attended minicamps with the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys but did not land a professional contract.
- In July, Hutson filed suit against the NCAA in Travis County, Texas, as part of a wave of players seeking another season under the NCAA's new 5-for-5 eligibility plan.
- At 6-foot-5 and 308 pounds, Hutson has played in 48 games with 23 starts across center, guard, and tackle for the Longhorns.
- Texas coach Steve Sarkisian called Hutson's situation 'a bit of a different' one because he exhausted eligibility without being drafted, framing him as more experienced than typical fourth-year players.
- The Longhorns' rushing offense averaged just 137.8 yards last season — the fewest of Sarkisian's head coaching career — and Texas added Western Kentucky All-American Laurence Seymore and Oregon State's Dylan Sikorski at left guard, where Hutson started five games.
Why it matters: Texas adds a 48-game veteran to an offensive line Sarkisian himself called 'somewhat of a question mark,' after a 2025 rushing attack that averaged 137.8 yards — the worst of his head coaching career. The eligibility ruling also clears a path back to campus for other undrafted ex-college seniors who spent spring in NFL camps.
