The strangest roster battle of the 2026 preseason isn’t for a 53-man spot – it’s the group of players on NFL rosters fighting in court for the right to give those spots back and return to college. A Louisiana judge’s temporary restraining order on Aug. 19 made it real: 33 athletes, 16 of them football players, several of them on NFL rosters at that very moment, were cleared to reclaim a fifth college season.
The names matter, because this story is being litigated one player at a time. Dae’Quan Wright has already run the whole gauntlet – portal, preseason dress list, NFL waivers and a reported LSU deal – in under a week. Others are waiting on this weekend’s roster cuts to learn whether their college option becomes their only option.
Here’s the tracker: every NFL-roster name in the suit, where each stands, and the fast-moving status of the case around them.
Why These Players Sued
Every plaintiff shares the same timeline: enrolled in 2022, played four seasons, turned pro believing their eligibility was spent – then watched the NCAA adopt a five-years-in-five rule in June that granted the fifth season to everyone after them. The exclusion of their class is the whole case, and it’s explained in full in the Class of 2022 loophole.
What the Order Actually Grants
A temporary restraining order, not a final ruling: it stops the NCAA from enforcing its eligibility limits against these specific plaintiffs until an injunction hearing. It is narrower than the Wisne federal class action, which certified a nationwide class – but it’s the ruling that first put active NFL-roster players on the college market.
The Wright Test Case
Wright’s week is the template everyone else would follow: transfer portal entry on Aug. 20, waivers cleared Tuesday, and a reported deal with LSU – where coach Lane Kiffin has publicly defended pursuing players in this group. Whether that signing sticks now runs into the Big Ten and SEC bans, approved within hours of Wright clearing waivers. The full saga is in our full Dae’Quan Wright coverage, and the roster mechanics of getting free of an NFL club are in how an NFL release actually works.
What Happens Next
Three clocks are running: the NFL’s cutdown to 53 on Sunday (which may free more plaintiffs), the Louisiana injunction hearing (which decides whether the TRO holds), and the conference bans (which may block even court-cleared players from SEC, Big Ten and ACC rosters). More than a dozen former FBS players have already entered the portal under the various restraining orders, and more are expected if they’re cut this week.
Quick Answers
Are these players still getting paid by NFL teams?
Only while on a roster. Players seeking a return have asked for their releases; a released or waived player stops earning NFL pay and, once clear, is free to pursue the college route.
Does the order apply to any NFL player who wants to return?
No – only the named plaintiffs. Other players in the same class would need to join a suit or file their own, though the legal groundwork is now well-worn.
When will this be settled?
Not soon. Between the injunction hearing, the NCAA’s appeals, the conference bans and a bill in Congress, expect the rules to stay unsettled deep into the season.
The Bottom Line
Sixteen football players – including Dae’Quan Wright, Jack Pyburn, Anthony Hankerson, Wydett Williams and Zxavian Harris – hold a Louisiana court order letting them trade NFL rosters for a fifth college season, with roughly 100 athletes suing league-wide. The order is temporary, the conference bans are new, and this weekend’s NFL cuts will decide who actually makes the jump. This page tracks the names as the story moves.