College football’s latest eligibility mess is pushing coaches, lawyers and programs into a fight that is getting louder by the day.
On one side, a New York sports lawyer is using social media to seek out potential clients tied to the Colorado 5 in 5 eligibility case. On the other, Oregon coach Dan Lanning is making it clear he wants no part of the fifth-year eligibility rules that are now shaping roster decisions across the sport.
Diana Florence, who worked on the Colorado 5 in 5 case, posted a message on X asking for help from athletes in the class of 2022 who fit the criteria she laid out. Her post read:
“I am privileged to be part of the legal team on the Colorado 5 in 5 eligibility case. I have resisted posting here because I prefer to litigate in the courts rather than social media.
Given the disappointing albeit temporary ruling this past Friday, I have a favor to ask. Any class of 2022 athlete that played 4 years, at least one of which was D1, please write up a brief statement and detailing through the injunction being stayed, the expenses you have incurred.
Lost opportunities, degree etc.”
She later posted her email address so student-athletes could reach her directly.
The source of all this chaos was supposed to be a ruling that helped players like Auburn’s new transfer portal add-on WR Tray Taylor. Instead, the situation has only created more ways for the system to be tested. The article notes that LSU has added a player who was actively working routes in an NFL preseason warmup, along with EDGE Jack Pyburn, who had two sacks in a preseason game.
The piece also argues that, in a strange way, this helps SEC programs. If those players are on the field, the teams get better.
Better teams mean better games, more viewers and more exposure for schools that already draw attention. The article points to College GameDay for the first three weeks of the season and suggests that more eyes on SEC programs means more money for a sport that keeps growing.
It also says it is no accident those players landed at SEC schools.
But Lanning isn’t buying it.
Speaking to reporters, the Oregon coach laid out why he thinks the fifth-year eligibility setup does more harm than good. His criticism was direct:
“I think there’s a lot of negatives that are involved around this," Lanning said.
"One, once you go to the NFL, I mean, you’re in the NFL. You don’t get the opportunity to come back. ...
Most of us have built our rosters, and you have a limited roster limit now. So, if you invited somebody back to your team, that means you’re kicking somebody else off your team, right?"
The article frames that as a challenge to what LSU is doing while adding players such as Dae’Quan Wright. Under Lanning’s view, Wright would not have the chance to return.
He kept going, making his concern about fairness clear.
“I don’t think that’s fair to the players that worked all summer, all spring, and put themselves in position to be ready to work for a team," Lanning said.
“Ultimately, it used to be, once you had an agent, or once you went and did the combine ... all those things qualified as you were no longer an amateur. You are a professional now, once you declare for the draft. So, letting any of those players come back, fair or unfair to them, it’s unfair to the sport, and I think it’s unfair to the players that are on current teams for those guys to be coming back.”
The piece closes by suggesting Lanning may be one of the first coaches to openly oppose the new fifth-year rules, with other coaches in the Big Ten or elsewhere possibly joining him. It also mentions that not everyone will be against the changes, including UCLA Bruins head coach Bob Chesney, who just , from the transfer portal.
For now, the bigger picture is clear: this is shaping up as a conference-wide fight, and it is arriving at the worst possible time, right before the season.
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