NASHVILLE, TN - DECEMBER 30: Signage for the Southeastern Conference, Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl, and Big10 Conference during the Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl between the Tennessee Volunteers and Illinois Fighting Illini, December 30, 2025, at …
TAMPA, Fla. - The SEC and Big Ten conferences voted unanimously to ban athletes with professional experience from playing college sports, setting up potential legal battles after court orders briefly opened the door for former NFL players to return to campus rosters.
SEC, Big Ten returning professional athlete ban
What we know:
The SEC and Big Ten moved to shut down a legal loophole that allowed former professional players to re-enter college sports. Under the Big Ten’s new rule, any athlete who signed a professional contract, appeared on a professional roster, or declared for the NFL draft without withdrawing is barred from competition. The SEC approved an even broader restriction covering football and basketball players with professional experience, extending to the NBA and WNBA.
The Big Ten established strict penalties for programs that violate the rule. Head coaches who field a former professional face a suspension for half of their team's remaining games, alongside significant team fines.
Transfer portal eligibility lawsuits
The backstory:
Earlier this summer, the NCAA adopted a "five-for-five" eligibility model allowing most Division 1 athletes five seasons of competition within a five-year window. However, high school recruits from the class of 2022 were excluded because the rule began with the class of 2023. The exclusion sparked a wave of lawsuits from athletes seeking an extra year of eligibility.
Temporary restraining orders issued by judges cleared the way for affected athletes to re-enter college sports. Louisiana judges granted injunctions to players like tight end Dae'Quan Wright and Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Jack Pyburn. Wright went undrafted out of Ole Miss before brief stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns, while Pyburn recorded two sacks in the NFL preseason with the Bucs. LSU head coach Lane Kiffin recruited Wright under the court order, defending his staff's approach by stating, "Because of these rulings, they're either going to play for you or they're going to play somewhere else around the country."
High school recruit roster impact
Why you should care:
The sudden flood of former professionals into the transfer portal threatened to displace younger athletes. Current college players and incoming high school recruits faced losing roster spots, scholarships and NIL money to 24-year-old veterans returning from NFL camps.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning voiced opposition to former pros returning to campus, stating, "I think there’s a lot of negatives that are involved around it… it’s unfair to the players on current teams."
If the SEC and Big Ten bans hold, high school prospects in the 2026 and 2027 recruiting classes will avoid competing against former professional athletes for roster positions and financial opportunities.
Federal antitrust legal challenges
What we don't know:
It remains unclear whether the conference bans will survive impending legal challenges. Lawyers representing the players argue that collegiate conferences cannot override binding court orders or restrict athlete movement without violating federal antitrust laws.
It is also unknown if other D-I athletic conferences will follow the SEC and Big Ten by enacting similar bans on former professional athletes. If federal appeals courts strike down the conference rules, athletic departments will be forced to choose between signing 18-year-old high school recruits or bringing in 24-year-old NFL veterans who can win immediately.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from broadcast coverage by FOX 13 Tampa Bay, and official athletic department statements from Louisiana State University and the University of Oregon.