Can universities be legally forced to sign players? Don't be ridiculous | Opinion
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We’ve seen an overflow of stupid in college football circles over the past five years, the likes of which will be studied for decades.
But ladies and gentlemen, a new leader has emerged. A moment that will have its own special place in the annals of dumb and dumber.
Beyond opening the barn doors of NIL and free player movement at the same time. Beyond the Alliance and a 24-team playoff and judge shopping.
Because right now, in these United States, there’s an attorney who thinks a judge can force a university to sign a player. Or else.
Ryan Downton, the man who got Diego Pavia another year of eligibility at Vanderbilt (and we thank you profusely for that, Ry), told Yahoo! Sports the NCAA should be held “in contempt of court for for permitting conferences under its purview to blatantly violate court orders.”
And — I know this is going to completely shock you — he plans to file a motion on it.
My god, where do we start?
First, the NCAA doesn’t permit any conference to do anything.
Secondly, and more important, the days of the NCAA telling the Big Ten and SEC what to do ended in 2014 when they were officially named “Autonomous” conferences and given legislative autonomy. The whole “Power” thing is a cover for their official name.
The Autonomous Four.
In other words, they’re autonomous from the rest of the NCAA for nearly every rules decision made. The only thing they use the NCAA for is the organization of championship events outside of the College Football Playoff.
The SEC and Big Ten — and to a lesser extent the ACC and Big 12 — simply make it look as though the NCAA is passing specific rules and regulations. But don’t kid yourself, they’re first discussed by the A4 conferences, which then tell the NCAA what they’re going to do.
The NCAA then sends out a release to trumpet any new “NCAA” rules. There, get it?
Now, back to the lunacy of forcing a university to sign a player. In what world would any judge, anywhere — even in the state of Mississippi (we joke because we love, Magnolia, and because Trinidad Chambliss) — declare the NCAA is in contempt of court, and that the NCAA must force its member institutions to sign a player because that player was given a fifth year of eligibility?
Unless we’ve suddenly become a Third World country, those legal gymnastics don't fly in the greatest country in the history of this big round ball circling a star.
Any player who has been deemed eligible for a fifth season can have a fifth season. That’s not even an argument after a handful of recent judge shopping cases.
On the flip side… a look at every player STILL protected by a state lawsuit that has a TRO/injunction granted or pending
These players ARE still eligible to seek a fifth year of eligibility currently ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/LmEjJl97Ly
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) August 21, 2026
But — and here’s the key — it doesn’t mean any university is bound to sign him.
Take a deep breath, everyone. I do believe we've finally reached the bandwidth of legal wrangling and intrusion into college sports.
The conferences can make any rules, any time they see fit. It’s in their charters. The conferences, like the NCAA, are made up of the universities within the conference.
This isn’t the NFL (though it looks more like it every day) where there’s a separate governing body from the 32 teams. A true body that makes and enforces rules, with a single commissioner as judge and jury ― and a player's association that can appeal decisions.
Major college football (the Football Bowl Subdivision) is made up of 10 different bodies (conferences) and Notre Dame, and none of the 11 trust the other. In a sadistic and wildly narcissistic way, it's everyone for themselves.
So when you read the Big Ten or SEC have said X, Y and Z, what that means is the presidents and chancellors of those conferences have agreed to something and it’s promoted as a conference decision.
It’s not the NCAA, it’s not a “cartel” and it’s not “collusion.” It’s 11 governing bodies who don’t trust each other, who actively work and compete against each other, passing their own rules and bylaws.
Or essentially, the reason we’re in this five-year structural death spiral in the first place.
But Downton thinks he’s going to find a judge who’s going to agree the NCAA is permitting conferences under its purview (whatever that means) to violate a court order.
An order, mind you, that simply said specific players were allowed to enjoy a fifth year of eligibility. Nowhere in any of those orders did it say universities must sign players. Much less, pay them.
Which is what this is all about, anyway.
Now, if a school in the SEC or Big Ten breaks from its conference rules and decides to sign one of those players — ahem, LSU — that’s a different story. Though I highly doubt schools would risk the penalties for doing so, to say nothing of the public relations shame.
So sure, come on back to college sports, fellas. But you’re not playing in the Big Ten and SEC, and won’t be able to play in the Big 12 and ACC when they soon follow procedural suit.
No matter how many motions are filed in the court of stupidity.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB. Listen to him daily, from 12-2 p.m., on 1010XL-Jacksonville.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Can universities be legally forced to sign players? Don't be ridiculous | Opinion
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