The NCAA shot itself in the foot by introducing the age-based eligibility model. The most recent beneficiary is former Philadelphia Eagles tight-end signee Dae’Quan Wright. Discussing the various ramifications of this situation, ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky expressed sympathy for Lane Kiffin amid the controversy of adding the player to his team.

“The old man in me doesn’t love any part of this, but the floodgates are going to open,” Orlovsky said on August 24 to Domonique Foxworth and Dan Graziano on ESPN GetUp. “This is the first; it will not be the last of this situation. But I can’t kill Dae’Quan Wright for going back and getting more money than he might have in the NFL and continuing that opportunity. I can’t kill Lane Kiffin for taking a player that he thinks is going to help him win. Um, this is what happens when you have severe poor leadership over a long period of time that takes advantage of situations.”

Wright’s return to college football can only be blamed on the leadership that made a possible. Everything that followed has been the involved parties making the best use of available opportunities. ‘Kiffin’s LSU roster lacks a proven tight end. Wright fills that gap immediately, sparing Kiffin months of development time. They now have one of their former players who will not need as much time to blend in.

In 2025, Wright recorded 39 receptions for 635 yards and 5 touchdowns while playing under Kiffin. Rather than spend all the time training a new tight end on how to produce these numbers, Kiffin has ready-made material in Wright, and Orlovsky sees no wrong in Kiffin’s path.

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Wright began his collegiate career in 2022 at Virginia Tech before transferring to the Ole Miss Rebels two years later, when Lane Kiffin was the head coach at Oxford. He spent the next two seasons with the Rebels before entering the 2026 NFL Draft.

Unfortunately, he went undrafted and was later signed by the Philadelphia Eagles. The last few weeks have been particularly turbulent for Wright. After the Eagles waived him on August 10, he was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns on August 11, only to be released by the Browns within two weeks.

His exit from the NFL coincided with the period when college players from the 2022 class were on a victory ride against the NCAA. The five-for-five eligibility model grants athletes five years of competition, with a window starting from their 19th birthday or full-time college enrollment, depending on which comes first. While the model was introduced to end the numerous eligibility-based legal battles in college football, excluding the 2022 class from its scope gave rise to many other battles.

Having spent four years in college, Wright had the opportunity to return to college football after a Louisiana judge granted a temporary restraining order allowing Wright and some other players from the 2022 class an extra year of eligibility.