NFL says players who return to college will be ineligible to play in 2026 as ACC, Big 12 weigh topic

NFL officials have ruled that players who return to college after leaving the league will be ineligible to play in the 2026 season, according to executive Troy Vincent. The policy, which has been in place for a long time, states that players who re-enroll in college will be barred from NFL participation. Instead, they would become free agents for the 2027 season.

This news follows a recent decision by the Southeastern and Big Ten conferences to ban players who have previously played in the NFL from attending their institutions.

ACC and Big 12 conference leaders are currently deliberating the issue. Two undrafted free agents, tight end Dae Quan Wright and defensive lineman Zxavian Harris, both signed with NFL teams as undrafted free agents this offseason and are now considering returning to college. Wright, a Mississippi native, played for Ole Miss and Mississippi and was waived by the Cleveland Browns on August 10.

Harris, an Ole Miss graduate, was also waived by the New Orleans Saints on August 8. Both players signed with the NFL because they had exhausted their four-year college eligibility.

The NCAA introduced a rule change in June allowing players who started college in 2023 or later to have a five-year window to play in college. However, Wright and Harris, who began college in 2022, do not qualify for this new rule. Wright and Harris have filed a lawsuit against the NCAA, arguing that they are being deprived of their education and potential NIL financial benefits by being excluded from the rule.

Former NFL player and coach Ron Rivera, the general manager of Cal football, expressed his disappointment with players seeking to exploit the system, stating that they should have made their decision without seeking ways to "cheat or beat the system."