A court order has allowed Dae’quan Wright, a former Mississippi tight end who was recently waived from the Cleveland Browns, to return to college to play for Louisiana State University.
Source: Former Browns TE Dae’Quan Wright cleared waivers today and is expected to sign with LSU on Wednesday. Wright will go from Cleveland Brown to LSU Tiger, and become the first player to go from an NFL roster back to college. pic.twitter.com/E8LQ8J9Gh2
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 25, 2026
BREAKING: Browns TE Dae’Quan Wright cleared waivers and is expected to sign with LSU, and is set to be the FIRST EVER PLAYER to go from the NFL back to college, per @AdamSchefter 🤯🚨
— Bleacher Report CFB (@BR_CFB) August 25, 2026
WILD. pic.twitter.com/iugzgZ8Psq
Wright will be the first player to ever have held a spot on an NFL roster to return to college football. New NCAA rules introduced a fifth year of eligibility for players, which has allowed thousands of players across the country an unexpected additional year of eligibility.
The rules sought to end the madness that stemmed from the COVID years of college sports that produced a litany of eligibility anomalies. Some students found themselves with several additional years to spend playing college sports due to redshirt, injury redshirts, and COVID.
Coupled with the beginnings of NIL and the introduction of the transfer portal, college sports have fundamentally changed from a decade ago. Now, players are able to make millions in college and have far less incentive to attempt to go pro.
Conferences recognize that this is going to be a problem for them in the years to come. Wright isn’t the only one who is likely to head back to college sports. Zxavian Harris, who was on the New Orleans Saints roster, is also projected to head to LSU.
In response, the Big 10 announced that they will seek to bar these moves from happening in the future.
The Big Ten's ruling comes in the wake two NFL players — Cleveland's Dae'Quan Wright and New Orleans' Zxavian Harris — parting with their respective teams to join Lane Kiffin's roster at LSU.
— ESPN (@espn) August 25, 2026
More: https://t.co/O3m5LzNp5s
President Donald Trump and a bipartisan slate of legislators have begged college sports to get a handle on what’s going on. Sen. Ted Cruz’s Protect College Sports Act seeks to remedy the situation through introducing a quasi-salary cap and a prohibition on mass conference realignment.
Whether or not the potential law can withstand the scrutiny of litigious college athletes will be seen in the coming years.
