NFL Confirms Ineligibility for Players Returning to College
The NFL has reiterated its policy that players who leave the league to return to college will be ineligible to play in the NFL for the 2026 season. This comes as conferences like the ACC and Big 12 are discussing…
Fort Myers Naples, FL, August 26, 2026 —
The National Football League (NFL) has reinforced its stance that any player who departs the professional league to resume their college football careers will be barred from NFL participation in the 2026 season. This league-wide policy is gaining attention as collegiate athletic conferences deliberate on the matter.
Sources indicate that conferences such as the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the Big 12 are currently engaged in discussions regarding the implications of players returning to college after entering the NFL. This follows similar decisions by the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Big Ten Conference, both of which have already implemented bans on such players.
The NFL’s policy directly impacts players who may have been waived by their respective NFL teams and subsequently expressed a desire to return to their college programs. Among those potentially affected are Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris. Both players had been with NFL organizations before facing potential ineligibility under the league’s directive should they choose to return to collegiate play.
The NFL’s reiterated policy aims to maintain a clear distinction between professional and collegiate eligibility, preventing players from utilizing the NFL as a temporary stop before returning to college eligibility. The specifics of how this policy will be applied across all levels of collegiate football are still being clarified as conferences continue their internal discussions.
Story summarized from the original created by AP on apnews.com, see more information here.
