Notre Dame Makes Major Move as SEC and Big Ten Ban NFL Returnees

Amid a flurry of reaction by college football’s power conferences to respond to the prospect of NFL players returning to school, the sport’s most famous independent program is aligning itself with its peers against the idea.

Notre Dame has informed the Big Ten and the SEC that it agrees with them about prohibiting the signing of professional players who have been on pro rosters and will follow suit itself, according to Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.

The school is “adamantly opposed” to signing ex-pro players, per the report.

Football won’t be the only sport covered by the prohibition, as men’s basketball players from the NBA and women’s basketball players from the WNBA are also covered.

College football reacts to its latest chaos

Notre Dame Makes Major Move as SEC and Big Ten Ban NFL Returnees — IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It’s another brick in the wall of college football’s most serious power brokers taking a stand against the sport’s latest controversy after reports of several players who were on NFL rosters taking advantage of a court ruling to return to school and play in 2026.

A judge in Louisiana granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA following a change in the body’s eligibility rule that was implemented this offseason, allowing Division I players a five year span from their enrollment to play college football.

But enacting that rule notably didn’t include players from the 2022 class who used their eligibility in four years, allowing them to seek an order to restore their fifth year and go back to school.

“Officially plunged into the abyss,” is how veteran college football voice Paul Finebaum described the idea of players who were on an NFL roster returning to school, reflecting the opinion of a wide cross section of fans on the issue, one that conferences are rushing to address.

Conferences react with new rules

Big Ten and SEC officials have already voted unanimously to impose rules that prevent former professional football and basketball players from signing with their schools.

More leagues appear to be on course to follow, as ACC and Big 12 decision makers are poised to meet on the subject and are expected to introduce similar prohibitions.

And now, the SEC appears ready to introduce what will be some very stiff punishments against any schools that try to bring former pros onto their rosters to compete.

Head coaches of a program that brings on a former pro would be suspended for half of their team’s season, and schools would be fined 50 percent of the sport’s budget, in a bombshell report from Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde.

Signaling how serious the SEC is taking the matter, the conference would also ban offending schools from voting on its business matters, and could give commissioner Greg Sankey “latitude to apply other sanctions” to such programs.

Whatever these conferences say, Notre Dame appears happy to go along with.

(Dellenger)

Add us as a preferred source on Google