AUSTIN, Texas – In the wake of LSU football’s agreement to sign former Cleveland Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright, the Southeastern Conference has released a new set of guidelines in an effort to restrict professional athletes attempting to return to collegiate athletics.
The following statement was released on the SEC’s social media pages.
“Following meetings with the Presidents, Chancellors, and Athletics Directors of the Southeastern Conference, the SEC will enforce the following policy:
An SEC institution is not permitted to have an athletes on its roster who has:
- Previously declared for the NFL, NBA, or WNBA Draft, and did not appropriately withdraw.
- Signed a contract with an NFL (or any other professional league), NBA/G-League, WNBA or any affiliate or
- Been listed on an NFL (or any other professional league), NBA/G-League, WNBA or any affiliate.
The commissioner is authorized to enforce this expectation with penalties against member institutions.”
The SEC’s statement comes on the heels of several other leagues, including the Big Ten Conference drafting their own guidelines on professionals returning to college.
Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian was asked his thoughts Wright’s attempted return to college, which would serve as the first time an NFL player who played in a professional preseason game would return to the collegiate ranks.
“I don’t even know, you know, [college football] is changing every day right now, it feels almost every three hours,” Sarkisian said during his media availability on Aug. 24.
“It feels like almost every three hours, there’s a new message from [Southeastern] Commissioner [Greg] Sankey about something that somebody’s reporting in the media, that this is what might occur or what’s occurring. I think it’s important for us here, especially, we have a really good team, and focusing on our team to me is paramount and the most important thing right now.”
Longhorns’ offensive lineman Cole Hutson appeared in rookie minicamps with the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys, but never officially signed a professional contract, which makes him exempt from the SEC’s new guidelines.
As a 2022 enrollee, Hutson, who is enrolled in graduate school at Texas, sued the NCAA for a fifth year of eligibility and received a temporary restraining order in his favor, allowing him to rejoin the Longhorns during training camp.
Sarkisian explained Hutson’s situation as part of his answer.
“Cole [Hutson] was a little different,” Sarkisian said. “He’s been with our program for four years. He knows who we are. He knows [offensive line] coach [Kyle] Flood. He knows those guys in that room. To bring in a true outsider, and to think like all of a sudden, he’s going to be our quarterback. Like I don’t know how to do that. I get every situation is a little bit different, and maybe there’s better coaches out there than us, but I just think it’s a delicate situation. The powers that be are ultimately going to get to a final decision, and then when the final decision is made, then we’re going to have choices to make, or maybe we will have no choices to make. I don’t know. We’ll have to find out.”
Wright was one of 16 players who filed a lawsuit against the NCAA in the state of Louisiana, seeking an additional year of eligibility. The court ruled that the 16 players, some of which were competing in NFL training camps, could return to college with eligibility for the 2026 season.
Despite the SEC’s guidelines, Wright is expected to challenge the decision in court, which still could pave the way for him to suit up for the Tigers this season.
Last season, Wright played in 15 games under Lane Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. at Ole Miss, where he hauled in 39 receptions for 635 yards and five touchdowns. Kiffin and Weis, of course, are now at LSU.
Texas plays at LSU on Nov. 14.
