Hold up, folks, because something wild is happening in college football that’s got everyone buzzing, and not everyone’s thrilled about it. Dae’Quan Wright, an NFL tight end who was just waived by the Cleveland Browns, is reportedly making an unprecedented move: he’s heading straight back to college to play for LSU, *if* he clears waivers, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. This dude is believed to be the first player ever to go from playing for an NFL team straight back to college, and Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is not mincing words about it.
Lanning Calls Out the Flaws in the NFL-to-CFB Shuffle
Coach Lanning isn’t just “not thrilled,” he’s flat-out against it. He told reporters, “Once you go to the NFL, to me, you’re in the NFL. You don’t get the opportunity to come back.” And honestly, when you hear him lay it out, it makes a lot of sense. He’s not just talking about the principle of it, but the practical nightmare for coaches trying to build a roster. We’re talking about a guy like Wright potentially taking a spot from someone who’s been grinding all summer and all spring, busting their tail for a chance. Lanning put it bluntly: “If you’ve 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 players who worked all summer, all spring, and put themselves in position to be ready to work for a team.” That’s a strong take, right? It shows he’s protecting his guys and the integrity of how college rosters are built.
How Wright’s Unprecedented Move Actually Happened
So how did we even get here with Wright? This isn’t some guy who played a few weeks of preseason then changed his mind. He went undrafted this year, sure, but he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, then got picked up by the Browns via waivers on August 11th. He hasn’t seen action in Cleveland’s two preseason games, but he *was* on an NFL roster! The whole thing stems from a lawsuit he was part of. See, Wright was a 2022 high school grad, and those guys weren’t included in the NCAA’s new rule giving five years of eligibility to Division I athletes, a rule that doesn’t even kick in until next season. But here’s the kicker: Wright got a temporary restraining order in Louisiana that kept his eligibility intact. Even though the NCAA got a stay from the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals that reversed a federal judge’s ruling for *other* 2022-23 athletes, it didn’t mess with guys like Wright who had their own state court restraining orders. And honestly, him landing at LSU? Not a shocker. He played for Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss last season and helped take the Rebels to the College Football Playoff. The dude’s got talent, no doubt, but this whole situation is a massive head-scratcher for everyone else.
Meanwhile, Coach Lanning and his Oregon Ducks aren’t sitting around waiting for NFL cast-offs. They’re already ranked No. 2 in the AP Top 25, ready to prove they’re a legitimate CFP contender. They kick off their season on September 5th against Boise State, and you know Lanning’s got his squad locked in, focused on the guys who *chose* to be there and worked their tails off for it. This Wright situation? It’s definitely a talking point, but Lanning’s got bigger fish to fry, like leading the Ducks straight to the top.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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