NCAA created this mess, now LSU set to make Dae’Quan Wright college football’s first NFL returnee
Former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright could make history this week by becoming the first player to jump from the NFL back to college football — with LSU coach Lane Kiffin at the center of this new development.
In what has become one of the wildest offseasons in recent memory, college athletics is reeling from a wave of lawsuits filed against the NCAA by athletes in the 2022 recruiting class.
After filing suit in a Louisiana court last week, plaintiffs received a temporary restraining order from 19th Judicial District Court Judge Will Jorden in Baton Rouge.
The ruling opened a makeshift transfer portal that was viable for only one week, allowing a number of athletes to contemplate an unprecedented move: participating in NFL training camp one week, then enrolling in college classes the next.
On Sunday night, Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken was left flabbergasted by the situation. It involved a call from Kiffin last week that he did not return.
What was the call about? Monken implied following the Browns’ preseason game that it centered on Wright, who dressed Saturday night but did not play.
"Man, isn't this s--- crazy?" Todd Monken told reporters. "I don't even know what to say. ... I wondered why Lane Kiffin reached out to me a week ago, now I know. I didn't call him back; I guess I should have."
While the Tenth Circuit in Colorado granted a stay last week in the Wisne v. NCAA case — halting the blanket waiver that had allowed members of the 2022 class to join any team willing to take them — the decision only opened the door for more lawsuits at the state level.
One of those cases was filed just a few miles from LSU’s campus. And Kiffin appears more than willing to welcome one of his former Ole Miss players back to college for another season.
If you were unaware, the conference has a rule in place that prohibits athletes from transferring to another SEC school outside of the normal portal period.
The rule, which dates back to former Alabama defensive back Mo Smith, makes it a point to emphasize that an athlete cannot make a move like Dae'Quan Wright is trying to pull off.
Under normal circumstances, Wright would not be allowed to play for Ole Miss in 2025 and then LSU in 2026 if the transfer is made outside of the NCAA's transfer portal period.
But technically, there is no rule pertaining to a player going from an SEC school to the NFL, and then back to another conference program within the same year.
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And, according to the court order granted by Judge Will Jorden of Louisiana, any school that takes an athlete protected by the previously mentioned temporary order cannot be punished by the NCAA or conference for adding a player like Dae'Quan Wright to the roster.
This could also lead to former LSU edge rusher Jack Pyburn making a return to Baton Rouge this week as well.
TENNESSEE COACH UNLOADS ON NCAA'S 'BULLS–T', AFTER STAR LINEBACKER SUSPENDED FOR OUTDATED RULE
Remember Tennessee linebacker Arion Carter?
He's preparing to serve a two-game suspension for accepting a $427 plane ticket after declaring for the NFL after the 2025 season.
Just a few weeks later, after finding out he had a foot injury that would prevent him from preparing for the draft, he took himself out of the process and returned to Tennessee. Because he hired an agent and took a small amount of money, the NCAA suspended him for two-games.
Now? I wouldn’t blame Carter if he chose the sue the NCAA in hopes of being granted a ruling that would allow him to play immediately.
What is being forgotten by some during this whole kerfuffle is that it essentially comes down to the school president.
If LSU's Wade Rousse wanted to avoid having his school in this ongoing mess, he could easily tell Lane Kiffin to just back down.
The same could be said for athletic director Verge Ausberry. But, why would one school say 'no' to something that opponents could easily take advantage of as well?
So, it's hard to blame the school for the NCAA's doing, even if that sounds like an excuse.
The same folks who are complaining about the current mess in college athletics are the same ones who are inviting the chaos through their front door.
Again though, it's pretty hard to put this on the schools, especially when the door has been opened.
But please, save us from the talking points around the 'Protect College Sports Act' that is currently floundering around the Senate.
"I think there’s a lot of negatives that are involved around this," Oregon's Dan Lanning told the media following Oregon's practice on Saturday. "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."
As for what's next with Dae'Quan Wright and LSU, it will obviously be an entertaining week in Baton Rouge.
Who's next?