“Complete Lack of Leadership”: NCAA Under Fire After Browns Rookie Strikes Deal With LSU for College Football Return

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The lines between professional and amateur games are blurring in unprecedented ways, especially after a Louisiana judge granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA’s new eligibility criteria. Following the ruling, Cleveland Browns’ rookie tight end Dae’Quan Wright is on the verge of securing a collegiate return, ESPN’s Adam Schefter announced.

According to agents Drew Rosenhaus and Kyle Lincoln, the Browns are waiving Wright. And if he successfully clears waivers, he can work through a deal with the LSU Tigers for the 2026 season. It would make him the first player in history to sign with an NFL team and then return to college football. The legal loophole allowing this move has drawn the ire of prominent sports media figures, including broadcaster Trey Wingo.

“All blame falls on the NCAA,” Wingo replied to Schefter’s post. “They saw NIL coming and dug their heads in the sand… wanted no part of any of it.. basically allowing players and colleges to do whatever they wanted. Complete lack of any leadership.”

The door for Wright’s return opened due to a massive, controversial NCAA rule change implemented in June. The NCAA shifted to a new eligibility model that allows athletes five seasons of competition within a strict five-year window. That eliminated the old system of medical and redshirt waivers.

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However, a group of 16 athletes, including Wright, filed a lawsuit arguing that the NCAA unjustly excluded them from the new rule because their traditional four-year eligibility expired before the changes officially took effect. A Louisiana judge subsequently granted a TRO, giving these players an unexpected fifth year of eligibility and the legal backing to return to school, even if they had already pursued NFL opportunities.

During his initial college career, Wright established himself as a dynamic weapon. He started with Virginia Tech and caught 47 passes for 574 yards. Later, he transferred to Ole Miss and amassed another 1,029 receiving yards, earning the second-team All-SEC honor under head coach Lane Kiffin. Now that Kiffin coaches the Tigers, Wright plans to reunite with him after bouncing between the NFL’s Eagles and the Browns.

Meanwhile, TJ Harden, Weylin Lapuaho, and Zxavian Harris have also entered the collegiate transfer portal. However, not every coach is happy with how things are turning out with the new NCAA ruling. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning firmly voiced his opposition.

“I think there’s a lot of negatives that are involved around it,” Lanning said. “One, once you go to the NFL, to me, you’re in the NFL. You don’t get the opportunity to come back. Two, most of us have built our rosters, and you have a limited roster limit now. So if you invited somebody back to your team, that means you’re kicking somebody else off your team to match your roster limits.

“I don’t think that’s fair to the players that worked all summer, all spring, and put themselves in position to be ready to work for a team to have somebody come back.”

By going undrafted, signing with the Eagles, joining the Browns, and now returning to college, Wright’s strange journey exposes a major structural failure within the NCAA. Nevertheless, only time can tell how this story will turn out.

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