Former Cleveland Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright was expected to make history this week, reportedly becoming the first player to jump from an NFL roster straight back to the collegiate ranks. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Wright cleared waivers and was poised to reunite with his old Ole Miss head coach, Lane Kiffin, at LSU. But hold up, because this entire situation is a chaotic mess that even seasoned NFL coaches can’t wrap their heads around.
Conferences Draw a Line in the Sand
Right as this news hit, the SEC, along with other conferences, quickly adopted a new policy. Their goal? To stop institutions from rostering athletes who previously declared for the NFL Draft and did not appropriately withdraw. This is a direct response to players like Wright, part of the 2022 high school class, trying to cash in on the NCAA’s new five-year eligibility model. This age-based system, which kicked off in June with unanimous NCAA Division I Cabinet approval, was supposed to simplify things, eliminating redshirts and waivers. But here’s the kicker: it left out student-athletes who exhausted their eligibility in the 2025-26 academic year, a group that includes many from that 2022 class. The NCAA basically drew a hard line, much to the frustration of over 150 athletes who’ve filed eligibility lawsuits across 15 states, all of them just wanting another season of eligibility like their peers.
Sean McVay’s ‘Freakin’ Gummy’ Confusion
Rams head coach Sean McVay summed up the utter madness perfectly. When asked about this whole controversy during training camp, he blurted out, “Yeah, I can’t even comprehend this stuff.” He called it “wild,” admitting he doesn’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, they can go back to college.” McVay’s take on this eligibility mania? “I feel like I took a freakin’ gummy,” he said, per the Los Angeles Times. He added, “I don’t even understand it. … I mean, I’m looking at this stuff. I’m like, ‘Surely that’s not real.’ I just try to stay in my lane. But I would say it’s very unique, and it’s very different. … It’s wild. That’s what I would say.”
This is clearly an unprecedented headache. Pro hopefuls like Wright could find themselves without a valid landing spot in college sports, largely because conferences are now taking matters into their own hands. While the NCAA has seen some success winning stays in three eligibility cases, including a class action where a Colorado judge initially granted a fifth year to the 2022 class, those players are now ineligible without separate state court relief. However, Wright and others did get a temporary restraining order from a federal judge in Louisiana, which allows those 2022 high school class players to enter the transfer portal, even if they were on NFL rosters. It’s a legal maze out there, and it’s only getting more complex for these athletes.
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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