Multiple former SEC players granted eligibility for 2026 season by court ruling
Published:
Multiple former SEC players are set to re-join the ranks of college football this fall thanks to a new court ruling.
According to On3’s Pete Nakos, ex-LSU edge rusher Jack Pyburn and former Ole Miss safety Wydett Williams are among the players who were granted a temporary restraining order by a Louisiana judge on Wednesday. The TRO allows those players to enter the transfer portal and be eligible for the 2026 season.
This decision follows a series of other court rulings in recent weeks that have resulted in additional eligibility for class of 2022 athletes. The NCAA previously ruled that the class of 2022 would not be able to benefit from its new 5-in-5 policy.
Those rulings, as well as this decision in Louisiana, could still be contested by the NCAA in other courts. For now, however, Pyburn, Williams and numerous other players are currently eligible to play college football in 2026 and could be late entrants into the transfer portal.
That’s despite many of these players having already signed NFL contracts. Pyburn recorded 2 sacks for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a preseason NFL game this month.
According to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz, here’s the full list of players set to benefit from the Louisiana TRO ruling:
The 2026 season will begin with Week 0 action later this month.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
