Sean McVay Had Best Take On NFL Players Returning To College Football
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The unprecedented court decision to allow players who signed NFL contracts to return to playing college if they have eligible years remaining has stunned and outraged many in the NFL and college football alike. But Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay might have had the best reaction of all.
Speaking to ESPN’s Sara Barshop this week, McVay said that he felt “like I took a freakin’ gummy.”
McVay called it “wild” that it was happening and that he couldn’t understand how things got to this point. But he said he’s not going to pass judgement on the situation since he’d prefer to “stay in my lane.” He just said that it’s “very unique and it’s very different.”
“I can’t even comprehend this stuff,” McVay said on Tuesday. “It’s wild. I don’t know enough about it, other than the fact that guys that can be in NFL camps, if it doesn’t go down for them, can go back to college. I mean, I don’t even understand it. It’s true. I’m looking at this stuff like, ‘surely that’s not real’.
“But, I just try and stay in my lane. It’s very unique and it’s very different. I saw Kellen Moore made a quote about it because his brother is a college coach, and you’ve got guys going back. But, you know, it’s wild. That’s what I would say.”
NFL Players and The Changing Landscape
Following the court ruling, the Big Ten and SEC released statements condemning the practice of bringing in players who previously signed pro contracts or declared for pro drafts.
“The Big Ten Conference announced Tuesday that 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 Big Ten said in a statement. “The conference continues to evaluate potential rules restricting professional athletes in other sports from conference competition.”
The Big Ten went a step further, officially barring players from college football that have entered the NFL. The conference will go so far as to suspend coaches and levy huge fines at schools that do so.
It’s a strange new world of college football that we’re entering and nobody seems to know what it will look like when the dust settles.
This story was originally published by The Spun on Aug 26, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add The Spun as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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