The Big Ten has passed a rule after meeting Tuesday that forbids players from returning from the NFL to play for a Big Ten program. Any underclassmen who declared for the NFL Draft and did not withdraw, signed a contract with a pro sports league or was officially on a professional roster is prohibited from returning. “The Big Ten Conference unveiled Tuesday the unanimous adoption of a conference rule to prohibit football players who have signed a professional contract, were on a professional roster at any point or declared for the NFL Draft as an underclassman without withdrawing, from maintaining eligibility for athletic competition at a conference institution,” the conference reported in a statement. “The conference continues to evaluate potential rules restricting professional athletes in other sports from conference competition.”Sources confirmed to CBS Sports that the league and its athletic directors voted unanimously in its discussion concerning player eligibility. The decision arrives amid growing legal uncertainty and a recent push from former college players seeking another opportunity through the transfer portal.
On the surface, the Big Ten’s stance protects roster stability and prevents college football from becoming a fallback option for professionals. Unlike the SEC, a league that is passing the larger problem to Congress, the Big Ten is attempting to establish temporary guardrails through conference policy.Without federal legislation or a binding national standard, however, this issue will continue to surface in courtrooms. The Big Ten has made its position known, but the final answer remains beyond the conference’s control while college football waits for clarity.Big Ten limiting its reign?By choosing not to engage in discussions with NFL players seeking a return to the college ranks, some of the league’s top programs will not be competing for top-end talent against others in the championship conversation — namely LSU and Lane Kiffin.
Ohio State’s Ryan Day doesn’t like the idea of NFL athletes returning to college football, but he stopped short Monday of saying his program would not pursue them.”I told myself I would stop saying this is crazy. So I’m not gonna say that,” Day reported. “But to think that we’re in a situation where we’re this late in the season, and our rosters are not locked in is frustrating at the very least … So what does that mean for us? That’s the bottom line. In my opinion, the conferences have to decide if there’s a point where their rosters have to be locked in. Because once some of these guys become available, adding them to the roster is going to provide an advantage for certain teams. So we’re certainly having conversations; I’ve had conversations with (Big Ten Commissioner) Tony Petitti about this. I know he’s all over it and trying to do what’s best for the conference.
“But we also — if there are teams that have some players out there who are cut from NFL rosters that are gonna be on other teams, we (Ohio State) have to at least consider it and look at it. Do I like anything about it? Absolutely not. But we gotta do what’s right for Ohio State. So it’s sort of a day-to-day thing right now. And like anything, we’re just gonna try to adapt.”
The Big Ten’s decision to shut the door on former NFL players returning to college could create a talent-acquisition disadvantage for its top programs. If courts continue granting eligibility and other conferences leave the option open, contenders elsewhere may have access to older, physically developed players with professional experience.
That matters in the expanded playoff era, when depth and roster maturity often decide games in December. Ohio State, Oregon and the league’s other championship hopefuls will still recruit at an elite level, but voluntarily eliminating a potential player pool adds another restriction in an already competitive personnel market every offseason.
LSU taking advantage of broken system
Kiffin has defended LSU’s pursuit of players returning to the college ranks and has already added several pieces this week, including 6-8, 340-pound defensive tackle ZXavian Harris and potentially Cleveland Browns tight end Dae’Quan Harris, who also played for him at Ole Miss.
Kiffin’s job at LSU is to acquire talent, win football games and hunt championships, and his pursuit of Wright is another reminder that few coaches navigate college football’s lawless landscape better.
Wright’s decision to enter the transfer portal after reaching the NFL would have sounded absurd not long ago. Now, amid courtroom victories, temporary restraining orders and eligibility rulings that continue to erase the sport’s old boundaries, it represents another opportunity.
Kiffin is not responsible for cleaning up the NCAA’s mess. He is responsible for building LSU’s roster, and if the rules — or a judge — allow him to pursue an NFL player, he likely sees it as negligent not to make the call.
“Through (players) winning injunctions and entry into the portal, they are available to recruit,” Kiffin reported Monday. “Ourselves and many places around the country are recruiting them. Because of the rulings, they are going to play for you or someone else. We made the decision to recruit them.
“It’s wrong to be critical of these kids. They were granted a fifth year, and a judge reported they were wronged. In general, should NFL players come back to college? I believe it doesn’t matter what I believe; the answer would be no. I think every circumstance should be looked at differently. This is a very unique circumstance.”
Oregon’s Dan Lanning takes firm stance
Like the Big Ten’s opinion, Lanning wants opposes recruiting former college players back to the sport.
“I think there are a lot of negatives that are involved around this,” Lanning told reporters this week. “One, once you go to the NFL, to me, you’re in the NFL. You don’t get the opportunity to come back. Two, most of us have built our rosters. You have a limited roster now.
“So if you’ve invited somebody back to your team, that means you’re kicking somebody else off your team to match your roster limits. I don’t think that’s fair to players who worked all summer, all spring, and put themselves in position to be ready to work for a team.”
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer’s take on the matter closely resembles Day’s words surrounding possible roster enhancement.
“There’s a possibility out there. I can’t control that. I can’t worry about that. Just got to see how things work,” DeBoer reported Monday, when asked about ex-Alabama players from the 2022 cycle who could theoretically return to the SEC.
