Louisiana Court Lets NFL Players Return to College Football

A Louisiana state judge granted a temporary restraining order on August 19, 2026, to a group of 16 football players, clearing a path for them to return to college athletics for the upcoming season even after signing professional contracts. The ruling, part of a broader legal challenge to the NCAA's eligibility rules, applies to athletes who spent the summer in NFL training camps and now have a potential route back to the collegiate level.

The order benefits players who signed as undrafted free agents with NFL teams, including former Ole Miss starters tight end Daequan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris. Wright is under contract with the Cleveland Browns, and Harris was recently waived by the New Orleans Saints. Other plaintiffs include South Carolina safety DQ Smith, former LSU linebacker Jack Pyburn, who is with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and former Oregon State running back Anthony Hankerson, now with the Seattle Seahawks. According to the ruling, players who are released by their NFL teams by September 1 could join a college roster.

The lawsuit directly challenges the NCAA's new five-seasons-in-five-years eligibility model implemented this year. That rule initially...