The college football world just got another curveball, and this one has Oregon coach Dan Lanning absolutely fuming. After a Louisiana state court ruling dropped in August, NFL rookies who hit minicamps or went undrafted can now actually return to college, a line Lanning says should never have been crossed.
Rules Flipping the Script, Again
Remember that “5-for-5” ruling earlier this month? It let 2022 athletes grab a fifth year of eligibility, which was wild enough on its own. Lanning, already on record saying the Ducks wouldn’t be adding players back, spoke at length after Oregon’s August 22nd scrimmage. His verdict on this new NFL rookie reversal? Flat out “unfair to the sport.”
Once You Go Pro, You Stay Pro
Lanning laid out his case clear as day. First, he’s firm: “once you go to the NFL, to me, you’re in the NFL. You don’t get the opportunity to come back.” It’s about drawing that line, right? But it gets deeper. Teams, including Oregon, built their rosters. They’re locked into limits. If you bring someone back, that means you’re literally booting another kid who’s busted his tail all summer, all spring, to earn his spot. How is that fair to them?
Amateur No More
He even brought up the old school rules. Signing with an agent, hitting the NFL Scouting Combine, showing up to minicamp? Those always meant your amateur status was GONE. You were a pro. Lanning sees it as a slap in the face to those long-standing rules, saying it’s “unfair to the players that are on current teams for those guys to be coming back.” He means business too; Oregon hasn’t added any 2022 recruits back to their roster, and he’s made it clear he’s got “little interest” in doing so.
So, with the Ducks’ season kicking off in just two weeks, Lanning and Oregon aren’t playing ball with this new ruling. It’s a huge question mark hanging over college football, forcing programs to make impossible choices. You gotta wonder how many other coaches out there are feeling the exact same way he is.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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