Dan Lanning Reveals Why NFL Players Returning to College Is ‘Unfair’
NFL Players Allowed Back Into College Football? A Judge Just Said "Yes" – And Coaches Are Furious
Imagine you graduate from high school, play college football for four years, get drafted by an NFL team, and show up to their training camp. You’re living the dream, right? Well, a recent court ruling just hit the "undo" button on that journey for 16 players.
A judge in Louisiana handed down a temporary restraining order (a fancy legal term for "press pause") that lets these athletes return to college football for a fifth year of eligibility—even though they are currently on NFL rosters.
It’s a wild, confusing, and unprecedented situation. Let’s break it down like you’re five.
What Actually Happened?
On August 20, a federal judge in Louisiana granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA. This order applies to 16 players from the 2022 recruiting class.
The ruling does three huge things:
- Grants a 5th Year: It gives these players an extra year of college eligibility.
- Opens the Transfer Portal: It allows them to enter the transfer portal (the system players use to switch schools) immediately.
- Ignores NFL Status: It applies even if the player is currently on an NFL roster or practice squad.
IMPORTANT POINT
This is not a final decision. It is a temporary pause while the lawsuit plays out. The NCAA has already won a "stay" (a pause on the pause) in a different court (the Tenth Circuit), but the legal battles are far from over.
Meet the Headliners
Two names you might recognize are leading this group. Both were on NFL fields just days before the college season kicked off on August 29.
| Player | Former College | Current NFL Team (Camp) | What They Did |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dae’Quan Wright | Ole Miss (Tight End) | Cleveland Browns | Entered the transfer portal AND played in a Browns preseason game on Saturday. |
| Jack Pyburn | LSU (Defensive End) | Undisclosed NFL Team | Currently fighting for an NFL roster spot. |
Think about that: Wright caught passes for an NFL team on Saturday. By Monday, he could technically be practicing with a college team.
Why Is This Happening? (The Backstory)
This didn’t happen in a vacuum. It’s the latest explosion in a war between the NCAA and athletes over eligibility rules.
The NCAA’s New Rule (The "Five-Year Clock")
Earlier this summer, the NCAA tried to settle the chaos by announcing a new, simpler model:
- The Rule: You get 5 years to play 4 seasons.
- The Clock Starts: On your 19th birthday or the day you enroll in college—whichever comes first.
- The Goal: Stop the endless lawsuits over "redshirts," medical hardships, and COVID years.
The Lawsuit
The 16 players suing (the "2022 Class") argue the NCAA changed the rules after they had already enrolled. They say the new "age-based clock" unfairly wipes out eligibility they thought they had saved (like a COVID redshirt year).
The Louisiana judge agreed enough to hit the pause button for these 16 specific players.
Coach Dan Lanning: "This Is Broken"
Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning—whose team is a national title contender and could theoretically benefit from adding an NFL-caliber player—hates this ruling. He didn’t hold back after practice on Saturday.
Lanning’s Three Big Problems With This
-
The "You Can’t Go Home Again" Rule
"Once you go to the NFL, to me, you’re in the NFL. You don’t get the opportunity to come back."
ELI5: Turning pro is supposed to be a one-way door. Opening it backwards ruins the separation between college and pro sports. -
The "Musical Chairs" Problem (Roster Limits)
"Most of us have built our rosters and you have a limited roster limit now. So if you invited somebody back… you’re kicking somebody else off your team."
ELI5: College teams have a strict cap on how many players they can have (usually 85 or 105 depending on new rules). If an NFL guy comes back, a walk-on or a developmental player who busted their butt all summer gets cut. That’s not fair. - The "Mercenary" Motivation
"Players battling for a spot on an NFL roster… could return to college football with the motivation of earning a substantial payday."
ELI5: If a player gets cut from the NFL, they might run back to college not for the love of the game or a degree, but for NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) money. That turns college football into a free-agency market for washed-up pros.
Why This Matters: The "Laundry List" of Chaos
The article calls this the latest item on a "laundry list of reasons that prove this era of college football is broken." Here’s the scorecard:
- No Guardrails: Players can transfer freely (Portal), get paid (NIL), and now… un-retire from the NFL?
- Roster Management Nightmare: Coaches build rosters for a year. A late-August court ruling blows that up.
- Competitive Imbalance: Rich programs with big NIL collectives can now "buy" NFL depth pieces in September.
- Legal Whack-a-Mole: The NCAA won a stay in the 10th Circuit, but faces lawsuits in Louisiana, Colorado, and elsewhere. Nobody knows the rules week-to-week.
Summary: The TL;DR
- 16 players from the Class of 2022 got a temporary court order letting them play a 5th year in college.
- They can do this even if they are on an NFL team right now (like Dae’Quan Wright).
- They can enter the Transfer Portal immediately to find a new school.
- Coach Dan Lanning (Oregon) says this is unfair to current players (roster limits), blurs the line between college/pro, and invites mercenary behavior.
- The NCAA has a new "5-years-to-play-4" rule based on age, but courts are blocking it for these specific players.
- Total Chaos: The season starts August 29, and nobody knows exactly who is eligible.
FAQ: Your Burning Questions Answered
1. Can any NFL player just quit and go back to college now?
No. This ruling only applies to these specific 16 plaintiffs in this specific Louisiana lawsuit. It is not a blanket rule change for everyone.
2. What is a "Temporary Restraining Order" (TRO)?
Think of it like a referee blowing the whistle and saying, "Stop! Don’t change anything until I figure out the rule." It lasts a few weeks until a hearing for a "Preliminary Injunction" (a longer pause) or a full trial.
3. If Wright plays for the Browns and then joins a college team, does he get paid twice?
He would get his NFL salary (or practice squad pay) plus whatever NIL money the college collective offers. However, NFL rules might prevent him from playing in an NFL game if he enrolls in college classes. The logistics are a nightmare.
4. Why does the "Roster Limit" matter so much?
New NCAA rules are moving toward a 105-player roster limit (down from ~120+). Every scholarship counts. Adding an NFL veteran means cutting a kid who has been in the program for years. Lanning calls that a betrayal of the current roster.
5. Is the NCAA’s new "Age-Based" rule dead?
Not yet. The NCAA won a "stay" in the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, meaning the new rule is currently enforced for everyone except these 16 players in Louisiana. But with lawsuits flying everywhere, the final rulebook is still being written in courtrooms, not boardrooms.
Article written by Mark Harris (OutKick) | Formatted for clarity and ELI5 simplicity.