‘Open the floodgates’: College football reacts to fallout of NFL players returning

Another week, another earth-shaking lawsuit for college football. 

Nineteen days after a judge in Colorado issued a sweeping temporary restraining order that allowed all Class of 2022 athletes to return to school for a fifth year, a judge in Louisiana issued an order Wednesday that now allows double-digit football players to return to the sport in 2026 with an added caveat: The NCAA can’t enforce its rules that prevent players who signed professional contracts from returning to college.

That means players currently on NFL rosters, such as Tampa Bay Buccaneers edge rusher Jack Pyburn and Cleveland Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright, both of whom were part of the lawsuit, can return to college football. Wright entered the transfer portal on Thursday.

The scope of the ruling is limited. It applies only to the players in the lawsuit and is a temporary measure until an injunction hearing is held. But it still set off a bomb in college football front offices as teams now scramble to deal with the impact. 

Should they go after one of the players who’s now eligible? Could one of their former players, say one cut by an NFL team, go sue to return? How long will all of this even last, or will another development prevent these players from playing college football this season? 

Those are all questions that front office staffers are asking at this point.

“You find the person that knows what’s going on and you let me know,” an SEC director of player personnel told CBS Sports.

In the midst of the chaos, this is what CBS Sports is hearing from sources around the college football landscape about the lawsuit in Louisiana and what it means just one week before the start of the season. 

Are more lawsuits coming?

Yes. A lot more.

Despite the NCAA and Colorado District Judge Charlotte Sweeney clarifying earlier this month that the July ruling wouldn’t override the NCAA’s rules regarding players who’ve signed NFL contracts, there were still teams in recent weeks that remained in contact with the camps of players in that category, who they were interested in as possibilities to return to college.

While there were players who’d signed NFL contracts who hoped to explore a return to college, there were reservations about being the first one to file a lawsuit in order to try to regain college eligibility.

Now, players don’t have to worry about that.

That has many around the front office space expecting the developments on Wednesday to — as one personnel staffer put it — “open the floodgates” for these types of lawsuits.

“That’s what we’re hoping for,” a Big 12 general manager told CBS Sports. “We need a player or two. Saturate the market, baby.” 

The expectation among sources is that many of the next wave of cases will involve players who signed NFL contracts but have since been released and are now out of work, similar to the situation of multiple players in Wednesday’s lawsuit. However, sources do expect players currently on NFL rosters to continue filing lawsuits, specifically undrafted rookies who believe they’re likely to be released ahead of the NFL roster cutdown day on Aug. 30.

Are there a lot of teams now poised to add players?

Not necessarily.

Sources have told CBS Sports that teams like LSU and Ole Miss are interested in both bringing back some of their own former players and possibly adding players via the transfer portal. There are other championship-contending teams, beyond just LSU and Ole Miss, currently looking into potential portal additions.

However, some teams aren’t going to entertain adding any transfers at this point. Some aren’t interested in bringing back any of their former players either.

There are questions for coaches and personnel staffers both about how adding a player just ahead of the season could impact locker room chemistry. 

Does this change anything with SEC transfer restrictions?

That’s a big question at the moment around the SEC.

In the wake of the Colorado ruling, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sent a memo to SEC schools earlier this month stating that league rules remain in place and prohibit SEC players from transferring to another conference school now that the transfer deadline has passed.

However, sources believe that a school like LSU could try to circumvent that. In addition, some of those sources note that the wording of Wednesday’s lawsuit could create an opening for a player to transfer from one conference school to another. Nevertheless, there are sources at other SEC schools that remain under the impression that league rules will prevent that from happening.

Simply put, this remains an unknown and a hot topic at the moment.

CBS Sports reached out to the SEC for comment on the status of its intraconference transfer rule but did not receive a response at the time of this article’s publication. 

Can these players still make NFL rosters? 

Yes. Yes, they can. 

Sources believe that Pyburn, for example, has a realistic chance to make Tampa Bay’s 53-man roster. He helped his cause with two sacks in his preseason debut.

In speaking with sources close to some of these athletes and at the schools they could transfer to, most cautioned that just because a player is part of a lawsuit doesn’t necessarily mean they plan to return to college. 

They could still make a 53-man roster or take a practice squad spot over jumping back down to college football. A player like Pyburn is just creating optionality for himself by being included in this lawsuit. 

Some, however, took a more cynical view when considering a case like Pyburn.

“There’s a certain line where the NFL has to be pissed,” a Big 12 GM said. “The agent for Pyburn is smart, because I’m assuming he’s trying to force the Bucs to say, ‘You have to roster him in the 53 or else we’re not going on the practice squad.’ But the NFL is not going to want people using college leverage on them.” 

How will teams handle roster limits? 

The TRO in Louisiana enjoined the NCAA from enforcing its transfer rules, but it did not lift roster limits. 

Teams are only allowed to carry 105 athletes under NCAA rules. With only a week or two to go until the start of the season, very few teams have multiple roster spots available to take players back. It’s why you’ve seen teams turn away some players who wished to return as a result of the Colorado TRO. Teams simply didn’t have room or didn’t want to upset the locker-room chemistry. 

But in speaking with front-office sources about the possibility of NFL players returning to school, many seem willing to be creative in finding a way to get high-level players back on the team. 

“The whole roster limit thing is a complete facade, because you’ll make rules,” an SEC front office staffer told CBS Sports. “You can cut a walk-on or medical guys, and it doesn’t count against the 105.” 

Others cautioned that you just have to be ready for any eventuality regarding roster limits, whether they remain the same or a lawsuit creates an exception for players who wish to return. 

“You almost have to prepare as if there are no limits so that you’re prepared if it’s changed,” an SEC GM said. 

It will take time to integrate players 

Just because a player is granted permission to return to school doesn’t mean they’ll be cleared right away. Not only do players, especially potential transfers, need to learn a new scheme and possibly get into game shape, but there is back-end paperwork that teams need to handle to get a player on the field. 

One Big 12 general manager said they’ve been working for weeks to fully clear a player to return who was granted another year of eligibility as part of the Colorado case. 

Players may need to repay any agent fees they received or, in the case of the Louisiana lawsuit, any professional earnings they’ve earned. There’s a formal compliance process with the NCAA in order to determine a player’s eligibility. 

“Not as simple as, ‘Oh, you’ve got an extra year, you can walk out and play in games,” the Big 12 GM said. 

What about the NCAA’s appeal in the Colorado case? 

The landscape of college football is muddied by the sheer number of lawsuits. Players are being granted eligibility in individual state courts, but the main ruling on the docket remains the TRO in Colorado, which granted all 2022 class athletes an additional year of eligibility. 

But the NCAA is currently appealing that case to the 10th Circuit, asking that the ruling be struck down. 

If the NCAA is successful in the 10th Circuit, it would reverse the Colorado ruling, and thousands of 2022 athletes would suddenly be ineligible. That includes players like Indiana defensive linemen Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt, both of whom returned to the reigning national champions following the Colorado ruling. 

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“I’m starting to wonder if the cart getting before the horse is going to make people involved in that decision look at it and go ‘This is a mess,'” a Power Four GM told CBS Sports.

Players who are part of separate lawsuits, like Pyburn’s case, would remain eligible if Colorado is overturned. 

So if the NCAA is successful in its appeal of the ruling in Colorado, it could just lead to another wave of individual lawsuits with players hoping to restore the eligibility they gained on July 31. 

That uncertainty creates a reality for the 2026 college football season — this eligibility back-and-forth will continue throughout the year. 

Some players could be granted TROs and injunctions midseason. Others will lose on appeal. It could be similar to the Charles Bediako situation with Alabama basketball last season. Bediako’s status was a day-to-day question after returning to the Crimson Tide following multiple seasons in the G League, and he played only five games with the Tide before being ruled ineligible.