With the college sports landscape already murky enough, it is about to get even murkier.
A growing trend in college football is for players who didn't stick in the NFL to take advantage of the NCAA's new eligibility rules by returning to play college football. While no Big Ten programs have dipped their toes into those shark-infested waters, multiple SEC programs haven't shown as much restraint. LSU and new head coach Lane Kiffin have already signed two of those players, while Kentucky and Missouri are working on adding at least one as well. With all the uncertainty surrounding the new trend, the Big Ten got out in front of it.
The Big Ten Conference is nixing returning NFL players before anyone could be tempted
If college sports weren't already becoming more like professional sports everyday, now even professional players are taking advantage of the NCAA's ineptitude. The distrubing trend is only going to get worse as lawsuits and ligitgation are surely on the horizon, and the Big Ten has firmly stated, no thank you.
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
According to ESPN Senior College Football writer Pete Thamel, the Big Ten Conference will pass a rule that bars players from returning from the NFL to play for any of its programs. The rule states that any player who has declared for the NFL Draft without withdrawing, appeared on an NFL roster, or signed any kind of pro contract cannot join a Big Ten team. The Big Ten is doing its best to get out ahead of the ensuing drama and legal challenges, and more conferences should adopt a similar mindset. The SEC has already made its stance clear, but there is still time for other conferences to follow the Big Ten's blueprint.
Regardless of the NCAA's new five-for-five eligibility rule, there is little justification for NFL players to return to college, and thankfully, the Big Ten has gotten ahead of the issue. Iowa fans sadly won't get to see a handful of former players potentially return from the NFL, but it's for the best. The Hawkeye football program is well known for its elite development, and even if former Hawkeyes go undrafted, they have a good chance to make NFL rosters. After the 2026 NFL Draft, six Hawkeyes went undrafted but were signed as UDFAs, canceling their plans to return to the program if they wanted another shot.
The Big Ten's ban isn't litigation-proof after the SEC set a bad precedent by a few of its teams signing some of those players, but it at least illuminates where they stand on the issue. Iowa has always been a more development-based program, bringing in prospects and working them through the system, so there was little chance Kirk Ferentz and the program would have been searching for former returning NFL players to add to the roster. Good thing for Iowa, it won't get a chance to entertain those thoughts as the conference officially put the kabash on it.
As this becomes more of an issue in the coming weeks, the college sports landscape is about to get even more confusing.
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