Not everything about modern college football is perfect, but we can say this for it: it’s never boring.
After an offseason dominated by debate over the importance of strength of schedule and how it’s defined, the changing of the guard between the SEC and Big Ten, potential involvement from the federal government in collegiate athletics, and even more NIL (name, image and likeness) concerns, there’s now a new controversy, just a few days before the season starts.
Thanks to a series of cases making their way through the courts as a result of the NCAA adding a fifth year of eligibility, several players who ended their “amateur” careers and went to the NFL are now eligible to return to the college football ranks.
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Immediately, opportunistic coaches seized on the opportunity to add more physically developed and experienced players to their rosters. Led by new LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin.
This has led to a flood of conference calls and meetings among major conferences as to the propriety of players who signed with NFL teams being allowed to play college football. One of the most prominent voices in the sport, Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day, added his perspective, highlighting the push and pull of factors dominating discussion.
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“I told myself I would stop saying this is crazy,” Day told the media earlier this week. “So I’m not gonna say that. But to think that we’re in a situation where we’re this late in the season and our rosters are not locked in is frustrating at the very least. But I’m not gonna sit here and keep saying that. So what does that mean for us? That’s the bottom line. Well, I think, in my opinion, the conferences have to decide if there’s a point where their rosters have to be locked in. Because once some of these guys become available, adding them to the roster is going to provide advantage for certain teams. So we’re certainly having conversations. I’ve had conversations with Tony Petitti about this. I know he’s all over it and trying to do what’s best for the conference.”
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Those are all valid points. Rosters not being “locked in” with literally days to go before kickoff is not only crazy, it’s unfair to the current players who could now be forced to compete for jobs with players who have experience in NFL training camps. Still, Day brought up that programs will have to “consider it” in order to keep up with other top teams.
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“But we also, if there are teams that have some players out there who are cut from NFL rosters that are gonna be on other teams, we have to at least consider it and look at it,” he added. “Do I like anything about it? Absolutely not, but we gotta do what’s right for Ohio State. So it’s sort of a day-to-day thing right now. And like anything, we’re just gonna try to adapt. But I think we would all agree, maybe not everybody, but that there has to be a certain point where your roster gets locked in.”
That’s the reality; if peer schools are signing NFL players, and you’re not, you’re falling behind. Just like you would fall behind if you’re signing the 50th best recruiting class and Michigan is signing the number one recruiting class in the country. Or if you’re not utilizing the transfer portal or NIL as efficiently as possible.
None of that changes the fact that it’s bizarre, absurd, and ridiculous for players who have signed NFL contracts to return to college football. Which Day also acknowledged, referencing the recent headlines of Kiffin’s LSU team bringing in a tight end for an NFL team.
“Whenever I heard that we were in a meeting and someone says, ‘Yeah, LSU just got a commitment from the Browns’ tight end,’ I said, ‘we are definitely in a different world right now,'” he concluded.
That’s the reality, and it’s hard to stomach. We are in a different world with college football, and it’s going to take strong, consistent leadership to ensure it doesn’t go too far. The bad news? As the past few years have repeatedly demonstrated, college football has anything but.
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