Date set for Cole Hutson’s injunction hearing

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After receiving a temporary restraining order in his eligibility lawsuit on Wednesday, former Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Cole Hutson received a hearing date for his emergency injunction on August 3, according to a report from On Texas Football’s Bobby Burton on Friday.

The hearing date is only two days before Texas begins preseason camp in preparation for the 2026 season.

Asked on Thursday at SEC Media Days about whether the TRO would allow Hutson to practice with the Longhorns, head coach Steve Sarkisian said he wasn’t sure — he hasn’t seen Hutson since the end of the season.

“There’s a lot that we have to kind of sort through and unpack, but if we’re fortunate enough to have him back, it’d be great,” Sarkisian said.

In the wake of passing the five-for-five eligibility rules that excluded players like Hutson from the 2022 recruiting class, the NCAA is taking a dim view of the lawsuits seeking an extra year of eligibility.

“The new age-based eligibility model is a clear, common-sense rule that will protect opportunities for future generations of students to access the life-changing benefits of college sports participation, while also ensuring college sports are played by college students,” the NCAA said in a statement released to On3. “We intend to defend the rules made by NCAA members exercising their collective judgement about what is best for college sports. Continued attempts by some to get more than the rules provided makes clear that working with Congress is the only way to bring stability to college sports.”

Even the potential for Hutson to rejoin the Longhorns after Sarkisian and athletics director Chris Del Conte have spent months complaining about lawsuits seeking to circumvent the rules established by the NCAA requires some explanation.

“I feel like we’re in an uneasy situation where we can’t govern our own rules, and that’s not healthy. It’s not healthy that we have, at a minimum, 39 different state laws that players in different states can go get injunctions or temporary restraining orders put in place to get around a rule. But now those are the rules. Those are the rules of engagement. I don’t blame Cole for doing what he did. I don’t blame Trinidad Chambliss for doing what he did. Those are the rules of engagement right now,” Sarkisian said.

And until something changes, the NCAA will continue struggling to enforce its rules amidst a patchwork of state laws and judges making their own decisions about how to apply the rules set in place by the NCAA.

For now, the rules of engagement could have a big impact on the offensive line depth for the Longhorns as position coach Kyle Flood tries to avoid a repeat of last year’s disaster at left guard.

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