Dan Lanning: NFL players returning to college football ‘unfair to the sport’

Following a judge’s order in Louisiana, a group of NFL players is now eligible for a fifth year of college football in 2026. That includes some who went through offseason programs with some franchises. The decision has generated a buzz across college football as players such as Jack Plyburn and Dae’Quan Wright consider a potential comeback. But Oregon coach Dan Lanning said he does not support adding former NFL players to rosters, citing the impact on the college game. $19.99 gets you a FULL year of On3 | Rivals national coverage To Lanning, athletes should lose their college eligibility when they sign an NFL contract or declare for the draft. Because of roster limits currently in place under the House settlement, schools only have so much space on their rosters. That’s why he thinks it’s “unfair” for programs to add those former players. “I think there’s a lot of negatives that are involved around this,” Lanning said. “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. “But ultimately, it used to be once you had an agent or once you went and did the combine … all those things qualified as you were no longer an amateur. You’re a professional now, once you declare for the draft. So to let any of those players come back, fair or unfair to them, it’s unfair to the sport and I think it’s unfair to the players that are on current teams for those guys to be coming back.” How multiple NFL players became eligible The Louisiana lawsuit came after the NCAA announced a new five-year, age-based eligibility model. Athletes will have five years to play five seasons beginning with their 19th birthday or the day they enroll at a school, whichever happens first. Implementation began this summer, although the rule will not be retroactive, meaning members of the Class of 2022 would be out of eligibility. The NCAA has made clear it does not plan to change its approach to the new rule. As a result, a number of legal challenges came. One case in Colorado gave the entire 2022 class another year of eligibility after a judge’s order in late July. However, the Tenth Circuit granted the NCAA’s request for a stay, meaning those athletes who thought they were eligible are now ineligible. In the meantime, athletes named in state lawsuits have eligibility if they received a judge’s order. That includes the Louisiana case and a separate suit in Kentucky, which applies to athletes such as Thomas Castellanos and Mark Mitchell. Browns coach Todd Monken: ‘Ain’t this s–t crazy?’ As Dae’Quan Wright considers a return to college football, he is still on the Cleveland Browns’ roster in training camp. He was seen going through warmups on Saturday ahead of the franchise’s second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. After the game, Browns head coach Todd Monken – who was the offensive coordinator at Georgia for the Bulldogs’ back-to-back national titles – said he heard from LSU coach Lane Kiffin last week. He also wasn’t quite sure how to sum up the current college landscape. “I mean, ain’t this sh*t crazy?” Monken said. “I mean, I don’t even know what to say. I mean, as far as I know, he’s had a medical issue that wasn’t allowing him to practice… And then he was cleared, so we dressed him just in case we had to have him. But when you don’t rep, it’s hard to put him on the field. ” … I don’t know what to say. I wondered why Lane Kiffin reached out a week ago. Now, I know. I didn’t call him back. Now, I guess I should have.”