Paul Finebaum Gives Blunt Take After Dae'Quan Wright's Return to College Football

A Louisiana courtroom has opened a path that lets a player leave an NFL roster and suit up in college days later.

ESPN's Paul Finebaum believes college football has reached a new low after former Cleveland Browns tight end Dae'Quan Wright announced his decision to join LSU after entering the transfer portal. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

College football has absorbed a run of unusual offseason storylines, from realignment fallout to transfer portal moves that reshape rosters every winter. A Louisiana courtroom now has the sport dealing with something nobody expected. A player who was on an NFL roster last week could suit up for LSU by the first Saturday in September.

Paul Finebaum, the longtime ESPN college football analyst, addressed the situation on Wednesday's episode of Get Up alongside host Mike Greenberg. Finebaum did not hold back, and his reaction should carry more weight than what's delivered in a typical debate show segment.

Paul Finebaum calls the Dae'Quan Wright situation an all-time low

Dae'Quan Wright is at the center of the story. The tight end played two seasons at Virginia Tech before transferring to Ole Miss, where he caught 39 passes for 635 yards and five touchdowns last season under head coach Lane Kiffin.

Wright signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent, was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns and was then waived by Cleveland on Sunday. His agents, Drew Rosenhaus and Kyle Lincoln, have an agreement in place for Wright to join Kiffin at LSU for the 2026 season if he clears waivers.

Wright is one of 16 plaintiffs who won a temporary restraining order from a Louisiana judge, a ruling that granted them a path back to college eligibility. Finebaum called it a defining moment for the sport.

"College football has officially plunged into the abyss."@finebaum speaks on Dae'Quan Wright being set to play for LSU after being cut by the Browns 🏈 pic.twitter.com/NqHoNAJeOw

— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) August 24, 2026

"College football has officially plunged into the abyss, Greeny," Finebaum said. "We have never been at a place like this before. There have been far more serious scandals, but this is a new low in terms of the machinations of the legal system, the NCAA and all these things."

Finebaum added that the timeline alone is jarring.

"It's just incomprehensible to think that someone was on an NFL roster the other day and he very well could be playing for LSU a week from this Saturday," Finebaum said. "But it's the way things are right now."

The move also runs into a separate obstacle. Wright played for Ole Miss last season, so a transfer to LSU counts as a move within the SEC. The conference generally blocks that kind of transfer outside the normal portal window.

Commissioner Greg Sankey has cautioned schools that the rule stands until it changes, saying SEC eligibility rules "remain in effect until fully or individually waived, or the rule is changed." Kiffin has argued players in Wright's position deserve flexibility, saying earlier this month that athletes who gain a fifth year "should go wherever they want."

What the 5-for-5 rule means going forward

The chaos traces back to a bigger shift already underway. The NCAA had been preparing to roll out a five for five model starting next fall, a plan that would let athletes compete in all five years of their eligibility window instead of four. The Louisiana ruling stretched a version of that idea backward, covering players like Wright whose four seasons had already expired.

Wright is not the only name attached to the ruling. Buccaneers edge rusher Jack Pyburn, Seahawks running back Anthony Hankerson and Cardinals safety Wydett Williams are among the players who could pursue the same path back to school. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning pushed back on the idea during a Saturday press conference.

"Once you go to the NFL, to me, you're in the NFL," Lanning said. "You don't get the opportunity to come back."

Wright's own agent has framed the return differently. Rosenhaus told The Pat McAfee Show that his client is low on the Browns' depth chart and does not expect him to stick on the active roster.

History: the Browns are waiving tight end Dae’Quan Wright and, if he clears waivers, he has an agreement in place for the 2026 season to play for LSU, per agents Drew Rosenhaus and Kyle Lincoln.

Wright is believed to be the first player who could play for an NFL team, and then… pic.twitter.com/3MLKNFYInY

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 23, 2026

"I think it's likely to happen, as his agent," Rosenhaus said.

Finebaum, speaking separately on McElroy and Cubelic in the Morning, predicted Wright will not actually take the field for the Tigers this season despite the agreement in place.

"I just think there will be too many things that start happening," Finebaum said.

Back on Get Up, Finebaum pressed the SEC to take a public stance rather than stay quiet while the situation plays out.

SEC must push back on influx of former NFL players

"There has not been a puff of smoke from the headquarters building in downtown Birmingham," Finebaum said. "Something will be said at some point. There is a president's meeting at some point today or tomorrow."

He expects the league to speak collectively, "with the exception of LSU, which has always been a bit of a renegade," Finebaum said.

Mississippi Rebels tight end Dae'Quan Wright (8) makes a touchdown catch against the Miami Hurricanes in the second half during the 2026 Fiesta Bowl. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

LSU and the SEC now wait to see if Wright clears waivers and how the conference handles the transfer question.

The SEC cannot afford to wait much longer. Every day without a statement of intent invites more agents to test the same path Wright is testing now.