College eligibility has been a mess for a while now, largely thanks to a certain global pandemic. But six years after COVID-19 sparked widespread quarantines and cancellations, players who were drafted into professional leagues or signed contracts are attempting to return to college athletics.
The NCAA is like an 8-year-old crowned king; technically the sovereign, but with no actionable authority. Players and schools have been able to sue their way around NCAA rulings. Despite this, they are still the governing body of college athletics, and should therefore receive the majority of the blame for the eligibility crisis afflicting collegiate sports.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, the NCAA allowed many athletes to gain extra years of eligibility. This allowed players such as former Miami tight end Cam McCormick to play nine years of college football. McCormick started his collegiate career at Oregon in 2016, and due to several season-ending injuries and the coronavirus pandemic, he was able to play until 2024.
The rule makes sense for athletes who were already in college or part of the 2020 recruiting class, whose college experiences looked vastly different because of the pandemic. But the NCAA recently decided to change its eligibility rules for future seasons.
Then in June of this year, the NCAA approved a new age-based eligibility rule that gives athletes five years of eligibility after their 19th birthday. This effectively eliminates the redshirt season and seeks to simplify eligibility. However, athletes from the 2022 recruiting class, some who have been drafted and signed professional contracts, have sued and forced their way back into college sports.
Prominent examples of this phenomenon are current Cleveland Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright, former Gator and current Kansas City Chief Jack Pyburn and national basketball champion guard Denzel Aberdeen.
These players were all part of the 2022 recruiting class, placing them squarely in between the COVID-19 changes and the new five-for-five era. Wright went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft but was signed and suited up for the Cleveland Browns. Despite this, he’s seeking to return to college football and transfer from Ole Miss to LSU.
This matters especially to Florida because of the prolonged battle over Aberdeen’s eligibility. He was a vital part of the 2025 national championship team before transferring to Kentucky for the 2026 season. After one year as a traitor, he has come to his senses and returned to the Gators.
Aberdeen was momentarily granted a fifth year of eligibility after a Colorado district court judge ruled all 2022 college athletes were eligible. But a few weeks later, the U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals reversed that decision, making Aberdeen ineligible once again. The legal back-and-forth has shown the true absurdity of this situation and highlighted the NCAA’s incompetence at addressing this issue.
The NCAA should’ve foreseen the massive legal battles that would come from changing eligibility without including the 2022 class — especially when the change was made in the summer, just a few months before the start of college football season. Players are going to do what is best for them and, for most, remaining in college is the best path forward.
Eligibility has been such a mess that the SEC and Big Ten conferences had to step up and create rules punishing coaches and schools that add current professional players to their rosters. Unfortunately, court orders forced the conferences to back down, but relying on the conferences to enforce rules in the first place is indicative of a broader problem.
Too late for COVID-19 exceptions and too early for the new five-for-five rules, it’s clear the 2022 class of athletes got screwed. The NCAA should’ve granted an earlier blanket extension to players’ eligibility so all players could make well-informed decisions looking toward the 2026 season. It should’ve been easy to predict players would want to stay in college where, for most, their earning potential is much higher.
Last year, former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck earned anywhere from $4 to $6 million for his one year at Miami. Compare that with the NFL contract he signed with the Arizona Cardinals. He was drafted in the third round of the NFL draft and signed a four year contract at $1.85 million per year.
While it’s ridiculous to see players who were drafted or signed professional contracts return to college sports, the moves aren’t the players’ fault. The NCAA has created this situation due to its incompetence and inability to see which way the river is flowing. The association was late to address the legal battles about eligibility, just like it was late to accept and implement NIL policies regarding NIL.
The new five-for-five rules are a good change. We should allow players to maximize their earning potential while they can; this includes earning a degree. We can’t fault the players for the situation they’ve found themselves in. However, we can fault the NCAA for creating the absolute mess that has allowed it to fester.
The NCAA has lost all control and authority over collegiate sports. Conferences, schools and athletes have ignored NCAA rules or received legal injunctions to get their way. At this point, I don’t see how the NCAA can continue to act as the governing body of college athletics.
The eligibility crisis is only the latest example of the anarchy inflicting the world of college sports. The NCAA either needs to get a grip of the situation or risk being overtaken by the conferences themselves.
While it may be easy to blame the players who are returning to college play, they are as much victims in this situation as the fans and the game itself. They were robbed of an opportunity to spend an offseason with the team they’ll actually play their next season with, along with the security of knowing that. Let’s keep that in mind as we demand the governing body we need and deserve.
Contact Evan Dressel at edressel@alligator.org. Follow him on X @EvanD_Alligator
Evan Dressel is a senior studying Political Science and Criminology. He plans to go to law school. He loves Gator basketball and football as well as the Green Bay Packers. This is Evan's first semester writing for The Alligator.
