Oregon's Lanning Calls 16-Player Eligibility Ruling Unfair as NFL Returnees Reenter College
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Aug 23
Oregon's Lanning Calls 16-Player Eligibility Ruling Unfair as NFL Returnees Reenter College
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Aug 23
Summary
Dan Lanning said players who have already reached NFL camps should not be allowed back into college football, arguing “once you go to the NFL, you’re in the NFL.”
A Louisiana temporary restraining order issued Aug. 20 gave 16 players from the 2022 class a fifth year of eligibility and opened the transfer portal to them just days before the Aug. 29 season start.
Lanning said the ruling disrupts roster planning under new scholarship limits because adding a returnee could force a team to cut a player who stayed through spring and summer.
Dae'Quan Wright and Jack Pyburn are among the highest-profile beneficiaries; Wright reportedly entered the portal while also appearing for the Cleveland Browns on Saturday.
The case followed the NCAA’s new five-year, age-based eligibility model, underscoring broader turmoil over how college football now overlaps with the NFL and player pay.