Ohio State’s ferocious defense is coming after Arch Manning. To avoid back to back losses, Sark needs to protect his Heisman hopeful with big bodies up front. But a strange case of eligibility has kept a Longhorns veteran away from the field.
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Despite beating Texas State 59-7 in Week 1, Steve Sarkisian spent part of his Monday media session on a Texas lineman who did not even play in the season opener.
OL Cole Hutson remains ineligible due to an ongoing appeals process with the NCAA. “From Cole’s perspective, technically today he is ineligible, not because of the ruling [on players who signed NFL contracts and then sought a fifth year of eligibility], because of something different when it comes to the NCAA that he’s working through,” Sarkisian said during his weekly media remarks on September 7. “He’s in an appeal process with the NCAA, so that’s kind of where that’s at.”
Sark did not name the exact NCAA rule behind the appeal. No clear report explains exactly why Hutson has been ruled ineligible so far. However, the Longhorns HC explained that he is deferring to what the conference decides along with the courts.
“We are respecting the SEC’s decision, and once he can get cleared, and if he gets cleared from the NCAA, then we’ll go back to the SEC,” the head coach confirmed. “He falls under a little different category than what so much of the hoopla was made around.”
This situation differs from other high-profile cases involving players trying to return from the NFL. Unlike the LSU target Dae’Quan Wright, Hutson never signed an actual NFL contract as an undrafted free agent. Those players went through the full training camps before being cut. It is clear the SEC doesn’t want those category of athletes coming back. So why isn’t Hutson being allowed?
There is a second category which includes the two Hoosiers Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt. Neither did they sign a contract, nor did they ever visit an NFL training camp. Simply put, they had no interaction with the NFL in the offseason.
Hutson falls somewhere in the middle. After going undrafted in April 2026, he tried out at the Dallas Cowboys rookie minicamp late that month. Then, he tried out at the Cleveland Browns rookie minicamp the next week, but failed both times. He was never even added to an NFL roster.
So, like the two Hoosiers, Hutson never signed an NFL contract. But unlike them, he did attend the camps. Although, since he only attended rookie minicamps as a tryout player, this gives him a much cleaner path to amateur status than the LSU players who went through them after signing contracts.
Hutson filed a lawsuit on July 17 in Travis County District Court. He challenged the NCAA’s age-based “five-for-five” rules that left out some players of the 2022 recruiting class who didn’t redshirt their freshman season. Judge Daniella Deseta Lyttle granted a temporary restraining order on July 23.
Texas said that Hutson had been “cleared to return … for his fifth year of eligibility.” He rejoined the team that day during fall camp. That earlier clearance is now in question again due to a separate NCAA appeal.
How much difference can Cole Hutson make if he gets to play?
Hutson is no role player. He has played 48 games and made 23 starts from 2022 to 2025. He started all 13 games at right guard as a freshman in 2022 and played all 16 games in 2024. In 2025, he played 10 games and only missed three due to lower-leg and toe injuries.
During his time playing in the Big 12 before Texas transitioned to the SEC, he earned multiple honors. He was a 2023 Academic All-Big 12 Second Team pick and made the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll. He was part of a Texas offensive line that was a Joe Moore Award semifinalist in 2023 and a finalist in 2024. That’s the good news. But its not a plug and pay situation.
The last time Arch faced Ohio State, he got sacked once and also threw an interception. The problem here is that Hutson has been out of the game for a while. That gap is an issue. This means that he is still not a lock to start against the Buckeyes. The offensive line needs to function as one single cohesive unit and that requires constant reps along with real time game experience.
Against Texas State, the current line was reported to be Trevor Goosby, Dylan Sikorski, Connor Robertson, Brandon Baker, and Melvin Siani.
Hutson’s last starting spots were center and left guard and it appears that both of those jobs are already filled. His most likely role will be first interior backup. Even a midweek NCAA clearance would leave little practice time before Ohio State. The current five already played a full game together.
What is still unknown is the exact NCAA bylaw, and no new hearing date has been announced. The open question is whether the appeal can be settled in time for the Longhorns to use the veteran lineman this season or will Hutson have to give up his year altogether.