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Dan Lanning slams NFL players trying to return to college football

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

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Oregon HC Dan Lanning slams NFL players trying to return to college football

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Aug 23, 2026 5:34 PM ET

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Consider Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning an opponent of NFL players aiming to return to college football.

On Wednesday, a Louisiana judge granted 30 former college athletes, including 16 football players, a temporary injunction allowing them to return to school for one more season. Some of these players are on NFL rosters, including former LSU Tigers defensive end Jack Pyburn (now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers). Pyburn is still weighing his options.

Former Ole Miss Rebels tight end Dae'Quan Wright, another plaintiff in the suit, participated for the Cleveland Browns in training camp before they waived him on Sunday. He's in the transfer portal and expected to sign with LSU. Lanning believes these agreements are "unfair to the sport."

Dan Lanning slams NFL players aiming to return to college

"I think there are a lot of negatives that are involved around this," Lanning said in a clip shared by Front Office Sports on Sunday. "One, once you go to the NFL, to me, you're in the NFL. You don't get the opportunity to come back. Two, most of us have built our rosters and have roster limits now.

"So if you invited someone else back to your team, that means you're kicking somebody else off your team to match roster limits. I don't think that's fair to the players that worked all summer, all spring, and put themselves in position to be ready to work for a team."

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

Oregon's Dan Lanning on players who have participated in NFL training camps coming back to college football:

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

@GoDucks pic.twitter.com/sFp63J4REj
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) August 23, 2026

Other college coaches clearly have no problem with handing a hard-earned roster spot to one of these players. North Carolina Tar Heels HC Bill Belichick is among those exploring taking advantage of the court ruling.

"We've looked at a number of them," Belichick said on Friday, via 247 Sports' Noah Weiskopf. "Each case is a little bit different. If it works, it works. If it doesn't, it doesn't. I don't think there's anything we're counting on, but we're always open to anything that will help the team."

It's no surprise Belichick is willing to do something that some would deem unethical. He often did so during his 24-year tenure as New England Patriots HC (2000-23), but He's not the only one. On Saturday, Browns HC Todd Monken revealed LSU HC Lane Kiffin contacted him about Wright before the court ruling.

"Ain't s— crazy?" Monken said, via ESPN's Daniel Oyefusi. "I wondered why Lane Kiffin reached out a week ago. Now, I know. I didn't call him back. Now, I guess I should have."

Many of Lanning's points are valid. It is unfair for coaches to strip players of roster spots for those who have already suited up in the NFL. That said, several college coaches are willing to ignore that if they feel it could help them win.

Until the NCAA or another governing body comes in and revises eligibility rules, expect other programs to explore how to use this ruling to their advantage, even though Lanning and others can reasonably argue against it.

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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