In something that can be described as a sign of the times, former college football players can become current college football players again, and Penn State has a chance to take advantage.
A tweak to the 5-in-5 ruling allows players who were part of the 2022 recruiting class and were thought to have used their eligibility to gain another year.
As of late Wednesday afternoon, 16 former college players— including Jack Pyburn, who had two sacks in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ first preseason game— had been granted a Temporary Restraining Order from the NCAA that granted them another season of eligibility.
In what was a win for sanity in college sports, Penn State coach Matt Campbell has no plans to take advantage of that.
WHAT CAMPBELL SAID
“No,” Campbell told reporters Thursday. “We have enough challenges as it is. We’re just trying to create the best team we can right now internally.”
WHAT IS 5-For-5?
The initial idea of five-for-five was for a player’s eligibility to start either when they enrolled at their school or when they turned 19, whichever came first.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.The proposal came to pass over the summer, and initially, wasn’t supposed to apply to athletes who had already graduated.
But late last month, a Colorado judge named Charlotte Sweeney granted an injunction to allow the already graduated athletes to get in on the fun, stating that the players “will suffer irreparable harm” without the injunction.
NCAA President Charlie Baker disagreed, stating that it would create roster chaos and using it to push a bill that would protect the institution antitrust protection.
“Today’s rulings and the chaos they bring to college sports are exactly why it’s time to pass this bill,” Baker said.
