NFL to clarify that players who return to college are ineligible to sign with teams
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The NFL is expected to address the growing instances of professional athletes returning to college athletics.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the NFL will inform its clubs that any player who returns to college will be prohibited from signing with an NFL team this season.
Schefter also reported that the NFL is expected to remind all 32 teams that any player who signs an NFL contract and is later released becomes a free agent, making him eligible to sign with another NFL club, join the Canadian Football League — or return to college football.
The crackdown comes as tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive lineman Zxavian Harris, both of whom played for Lane Kiffin at Mississippi last season before signing NFL contracts, are expected to join LSU. Both players, who were recently waived as undrafted free agents in the NFL, were granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA by a Louisiana judge to receive a fifth year of eligibility after the NCAA changed its eligibility rules to an age-based model.
In ESPN's report, any player who is cut by an NFL team and opts to return to college this year will still be considered a free agent following the 2026 college football season. In other words, they will not go through the NFL draft again.
The SEC and Big Ten conferences have since taken action to prevent NFL players and other professional athletes from returning to college athletics. The SEC's policy, which extends to men's and women's basketball, empowers commissioner Greg Sankey to enforce its provisions and sanction member schools that violate them.
According to multiple reports on Wednesday, Aug. 26, teams in violation of the SEC’s new rules will receive several harsh penalties, including a 50% season suspension for head coaches, 50% cut to that sport's annual operating budget and revoked SEC voting privileges.
The ACC and the Big 12 are expected to announce policies of their own to prevent the return of professional athletes to college athletics.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL to clarify that players who return to college are ineligible to sign with teams
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