Why Ohio State Won’t Have To Worry About NFL Players Wanting To Join Buckeyes

College football is right around the corner, and the Ohio State Buckeyes' season starts in just 11 days. But the college football world is more focused on the transfer portal situation with the student-athletes who started in the 2022-23 academic year.

A Louisiana court granted multiple NFL players an extra fifth year of eligibility in which they can enter the transfer portal for a week, including former LSU EDGE Jack Pyburn and former Ole Miss defensive lineman Xzavion Harris.

Former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright became the first player to have an agreement to return to play in college after signing with an NFL team as an undrafted free agent, as he looks set to join LSU for the 2026-27 season.

As this is happening in the SEC, the Big Ten did not sit around and wait for pro players to come back. The conference will pass a rule today that doesn’t allow players who have declared for the NFL Draft and did not withdraw, appeared on an NFL roster, or signed a contract with a pro league to be on a Big Ten roster, according to Pete Thamel.

Sources: The Big Ten is set to pass a rule today that doesn’t allow players to return from the NFL and play for a Big Ten school. Anyone who has declared for the NFL Draft and did not withdraw, appeared on an NFL roster or signed a contract with a pro league cannot be on a Big…
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 25, 2026

Big Ten banning NFL players

The Big Ten is the first conference to establish a rule like this in response to the recent eligibility discussions, it’ll be interesting to see if other power four conferences follow suit.

There were 16 players total who were granted that extra year of eligibility, including other NFL players like former Oregon State running back Anthony Hankerson, who was waived by the Seahawks amid the transfer rumors, along with former Ole Miss safety Wydett Williams Jr.

Williams just played in an NFL preseason game two days ago for the Arizona Cardinals, where he totaled five tackles vs the Cowboys, and has been playing consistently over the preseason. Williams has also signed a three-year contract, worth up to $3.1 million.

After playing in three preseason games, and presumably the fourth, if Williams doesn’t make the team he may explore the route of going back to college.

With how the college football landscape is panning out, you figured we would be getting close to some ridiculous rulings and situations. The separation between the NFL and college has quickly gotten smaller and smaller as these college athletes are not amateurs anymore.

The good thing about Ohio State and the rest of the Big Ten is that these pro players will not be lining up across from them.

The hope is that after this wave of student-athletes passes, there will try to be some order with the NCAA’s five-in-five rule (which was approved in June) that gives an athlete five seasons of competition in five years, as opposed to the old model, which was four seasons in five years.

Athletes who missed this deadline and whose eligibility expired in 2026, are the ones lobbying for an extra year.

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