Lane Kiffin is happy to have the most unique signing of the season. An active NFL player returning to the NCAA has never happened before, but Dae’Quan Wright is changing history.

“These players should have been told that they were going to be eligible for a fifth year. Had they known that, they would have stayed (and not signed pro contracts). You may end up having hundreds of athletes told they have a fifth year. It’s a unique circumstance,” Kiffin said on August 24, as reported by Ross Dellenger.

Kiffin turned his crosshairs on the NCAA and the broader college sports landscape. Wright, who played under Kiffin at Ole Miss, became the first active NFL player to jump back to college football. A recent landmark court ruling granted a fifth year of eligibility to select athletes. 

The LSU head coach made it clear that the NCAA created this logistical and legal mess by failing to anticipate court rulings. He indicated that sudden mid-camp portal openings should not blindside coaches. Kiffin prioritized talent acquisition over standard college football norms.

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Dae’Quan Wright went undrafted in April 2024 but spent the summer in training camp. After a legal injunction opened a transfer portal window for players seeking an extra year of eligibility, Wright jumped in.

Wright entered the college transfer portal the very next day after the judge issued the injunction, and the Cleveland Browns subsequently waived him on August 24, finalizing his return to college.

In one of the strangest sights in football history, Wright actually dressed for the Browns’ preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, August 22, despite already being in the college transfer portal. 

Wright and Kiffin have a history together at Ole Miss. Wright is a highly productive 6-foot-4, 250-pound target. During his last season at Ole Miss, he helped Kiffin’s squad secure a College Football Playoff berth. He hauled in 39 receptions for 635 yards and five touchdowns. 

Cleveland Browns head coach Todd Monken also revealed to reporters that Kiffin randomly called him out of the blue. Monken didn’t return the call initially, admitting, “I wondered why Lane Kiffin reached out a week ago; now I know.”

But, funnily enough, Kiffin clarified that it wasn’t him and that he does not even have Monken’s number. “Maybe someone else called him and said they were me,” he said.

The whole thing because of another legal battle the NCAA got itself into. The governing body recently passed a rule granting athletes five full seasons of competition to complete their eligibility, but specified that it would apply only to athletes enrolling in the fall of 2027 and onward. Believing it was unfair to exclude current players, a group of 33 college athletes sued the NCAA in a Louisiana state court.

They argued the restriction unlawfully denied them an extra season. The Louisiana judge granted a TRO on August 19. This means that the NCAA legally can not stop these specific players from playing college sports in 2026. Under the terms of the injunction, active NFL players could return to school as long as they repaid any money they had received from pro franchises or agents.