A rule written to stop the traffic
The Big Ten has seen enough. ESPN reported this morning that the conference intends to approve a rule change banning any football player who has been with an NFL team from returning to college football at one of its member schools. The vote was expected to go through later today.
The language is wide. Any player whose name has appeared on an NFL roster falls under it. So does anyone who signed a professional contract. So does anyone who declared for the draft and failed to withdraw before the deadline, which catches players who never took a single snap in the league and still cashed in their college status the moment the paperwork was filed.
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The SEC wants the same wall
Presidents and chancellors in the Southeastern Conference put their position in writing on Monday. They want the same ban, and they framed it as a matter of who college sport belongs to.
“College athletes, not former professional athletes, have been at the heart of the Southeastern Conference. Individuals who choose to leave college athletics, sign professional playing contracts, and compete professionally should not then be permitted to return to college competition,” the statement read. It went on to warn that allowing the practice “will blur the line between college and professional sports, create significant competitive equity concerns, and reduce opportunities for high school and current college athletes.”
Kiffin keeps signing them anyway
None of this stops LSU right now. Lane Kiffin is working inside a window opened by a Louisiana court, which granted a temporary restraining order last week covering 16 players and let them enter the transfer portal. The ruling ties back to the NCAA’s age-based eligibility model, five seasons inside a five-year window, which left the high school class of 2022 with nothing once their clock ran out.
Tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who played two seasons under Kiffin at Ole Miss, is reported to be joining LSU once he clears NFL waivers after a spell with the Cleveland Browns. Former Ole Miss defensive lineman Zxavian Harris, waived by the New Orleans Saints, announced on Instagram on Monday that he intends to follow, calling the move a “business decision.”
Kiffin was asked about it on Monday and did not bother dressing it up. “At the end of the day, because of these rulings, they’re either going to play for you or they’re going to play for someone else around the country,” he said.
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