Dan Lanning rips NFL players returning to college football, says ‘it’s unfair’ to the sport originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
There’s now a blurred line between the NFL and college football. After several NFL players have been allowed to return to college football ahead of the 2026 season, the system seems to be breaking in real time.
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Some players contribute in NFL preseason games before abruptly leaving for a second chance in college. This is truly unprecedented and more proof the NCAA has lost their authority. The latest development is one of many pointing to the Wild West in this era of college sports.
There are currently 16 players from the 2022 recruiting class who were granted a TRO (temporary restraining order) against the NCAA last week. This gives them a fifth-year of eligibility and can push NFL players like Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright and Buccaneers defensive end Jack Pyburn into the transfer portal. It’s truly wild to think players on current NFL rosters will be going back for an NIL pay day. Other players are asking to be released to go back to college. Never before has this happened in the history of the sport.
Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning had a few things to say about the NFL bounce back players. He not only disapproves of the structure, but calls for separation between pro and college.
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“Once you go to the NFL, to me, you’re in the NFL,” Lanning told reporters. “You don’t get the opportunity to come back.”
Lanning has been one of the most outspoken coaches about the dangers of this era. He took his point further about how this isn’t creating the best culture.
“If you invited somebody back to your team, that means you’re kicking somebody else off your team to match your roster limits,” he added. “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.”
Oregon would benefit from players wanting to come back because they’re one of the top teams in the nation. But Lanning isn’t going to stand for the foolishness of jumping back and forth to try and secure an NIL deal. His voice carries more weight than most other coaches in this regard.
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The NCAA announced a five-year, age-based eligibility model earlier this year that starts with an athlete’s 19th birthday or the day they enroll at a school, whichever takes place first. However, this latest change via court rulings will add to a weird year in college sports.
