Boise State is drawing a hard line in the middle of college football’s latest eligibility mess.
While the sport continues to wrestle with whether former pro players should be allowed back into the college game, athletic director Jeramiah Dickey and Broncos coach Spencer Danielson made it clear this week that Boise State wants no part of it. Their stance comes as the issue has exploded nationally after former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright announced he was heading back to college football for a fifth season at LSU.
Wright’s case is the one that lit the fuse. He went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent, was released on Aug. 10, then claimed by the Cleveland Browns.
He was on the Browns’ roster long enough to dress for a preseason game against the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 22, though he did not play. Two days later, he was waived and practiced with LSU that same day.
That sequence has drawn plenty of backlash, and it would make Wright the first player to sign with an NFL team and then return to the college ranks. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin backed the move last week, saying, “they’re either going to play for you, or they’re going to play for someone else around the country.”
Across the sport, conferences have started reacting. The SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC have all banned former professional players from returning to their leagues, though the SEC’s move has not become official because a Texas judge issued a temporary restraining order.
The Pac-12 has not put a formal ban in place, but Boise State has already taken its position. Dickey posted Friday night that the Broncos support the NCAA’s new five-year, five-season setup, but not the way it has played out in practice.
“We are supportive of 5 for 5; nevertheless, how it has been implemented has left a lot to be desired,” Dickey wrote. “With that said, we will not recruit or sign former student-athletes who participated in the NFL (camps, signed contracts, etc.) and those who have done the same in the NBA.”
The NCAA’s 5-for-5 rule was rolled out this summer to cut through confusion tied to redshirting and medical waivers. Under the new system, athletes get five years to play five seasons, starting either on their 19th birthday or when they first enroll in college.
It was introduced after the 2026 NFL Draft in April, and some players - including Wright - have argued that they still have eligibility left that they did not realize was there when they entered the draft.
Danielson backed Dickey’s stance during a press conference Monday and said Boise State would not be chasing players who tried the pro route and then wanted to come back.
“I’m a firm believer that when this college season of your life is done, it is time to move on,” Danielson said. “If that’s the NFL, great. If it’s not, you’re going to be a professional in something else, and that’s OK.
“We put a premium on pouring into this group,” Danielson continued. “We’re not going to go look for guys that didn’t make the NFL to come back here. We’re going to put culture over everything.”
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