NFL says players who return to college will be ineligible to play in 2026

Key Points:

• The NFL has reiterated that players who leave the league to return to college football will be ineligible to play in the NFL during the 2026 season and will only become free agents in 2027.
• This policy follows recent moves by the Southeastern and Big Ten conferences banning former NFL players from competing in college football, with the ACC and Big 12 considering similar actions.
• Two undrafted free agents, Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, who had hoped to return to LSU after brief NFL stints, are affected by these rules; both had exhausted their four years of eligibility and are excluded from a new NCAA rule allowing five years of play for players who started college in 2023 or later.
• The NCAA is currently involved in multiple legal battles over eligibility rules, with courts granting stays on orders that would have allowed certain athletes a fifth year of competition, supporting the NCAA's position against expanded eligibility claims.
• NFL and college football officials, including Cal GM Ron Rivera, express support for strict eligibility enforcement, emphasizing the importance of players committing to their initial career decisions and discouraging attempts to "cheat the system."