Louisiana court order gives players signed by NFL teams a shot at returning to college sports

Louisiana court order gives players signed by NFL teams a shot at returning to college sports.

Key points

• Ex-Ole Miss starters Dae'Quan Wright (Cleveland Browns) and Wydett Williams (Arizona Cardinals) are on NFL rosters and were part of the lawsuit.
• Four former Alabama State men's basketball players were paid to fix a game against Southern Miss in 2024, NCAA notes.
• 6 must-watch matchups that could play key role in setting the 2026 College Football Playoff field.
• Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss picked to finish 1, 2, 3 in SEC in preseason media poll.
• SWAC media accord keeps conference football, basketball games on ESPN networks through 2030-31.

Louisiana court order gives players signed by NFL teams a shot at returning to college sports. Dae'Quan Wright (Photo from Ole Miss Athletics).

In practice, a number of athletes, including some who signed contracts with NFL teams, were granted a temporary restraining order by a Louisiana court that would produce them eligible to return to college athletics, ESPN documented Wednesday.

Former Oregon State running back Anthony Hankerson (Seattle Seahawks), former Florida and LSU pass rusher Jack Pyburn (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and ex-Mississippi starters Dae'Quan Wright (Cleveland Browns) and Wydett Williams (Arizona Cardinals) are on NFL rosters and were part of the lawsuit.

NFL teams are deep into training camp, and rosters have to be cut to 53 players by Aug. 30. Plenty of who don't produce those clubs could look for a fallback plan in college football, barring a successful appeal by the NCAA.

According to ESPN, 16 football players were part of the lawsuit that included 33 athletes throughout a number of sports who are seeking a fifth year of eligibility.

Meanwhile, the NCAA has been dealt a series of legal setbacks regarding its eligibility rules.

"Courts across the country granting relief to ineligible athletes who already had every opportunity to compete in college – sometimes without even having a hearing – are failing to appreciate the destabilizing effect their rulings are having on college sports, " Tim Buckley, NCAA senior vice president of external affairs, remarked in an official note.

"The lawyers bringing these cases seemingly won't be satisfied until every professional athlete can treat college sports as a fallback option, regardless of the opportunities it strips from those who will never have a chance to begin their collegiate sports experience."

On July 31, a federal court in Denver ruled that all high school class of 2022 athletes who exhausted their fourth season of college eligibility this spring are eligible for a fifth season this academic year.

That decision came a little more than a month after the NCAA passed a rule that gives athletes five years to complete five seasons of competition, starting with those who enroll in the fall of 2027. The Colorado ruling eliminated the waiting period. <!– AddToAny script (best before) –>. Sports Maura Carey, Associated Press August 12, 2026.

As Lane Kiffin returns to Oxford for the first time since his awkward departure for LSU last December, one of the most intriguing games of the year, an emotionally charged revenge game on paper for Ole Miss.

Four former Alabama State men's basketball players were paid to fix a game against Southern Miss in 2024, NCAA notes. Sports Eric Olson, Associated Press August 17, 2026. Ole Miss ranked 9th in AP preseason Top 25. Sports Eddie Pells, Associated Press July 29, 2026.

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Meanwhile, a reworked Senate bill intends to regulate college sports by more than doubling the capital schools can share with players.

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In short, louisiana court order gives players signed by NFL teams a shot at is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.