Why Some Athletes Are Fighting to Stay in School-Literally
There was a time when the biggest concern in college sports was whether athletes were leaving too early to chase professional dreams. Now?
The issue is flipped on its head. In today’s NIL-powered era, athletes are doing everything they can to stay in school-even if it means taking their case to court.
Take Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. He’s suing the NCAA for a sixth year of eligibility after being denied an extra season.
The NCAA ruled he didn’t provide sufficient medical documentation to prove that a respiratory issue kept him sidelined during the 2022 season at Division II Ferris State. The rulebook says he needs a doctor’s note to qualify for a medical redshirt.
Chambliss says he deserves another shot.
But this isn’t about chasing a national title or polishing a draft résumé. It’s about dollars and cents.
Chambliss reportedly made $5 million last season through NIL deals-more than he’d earn on a standard NFL rookie contract. That kind of money makes college football a better financial play than the pros, at least for now.
Need a comparison? Jaxson Dart, a first-round pick by the New York Giants in 2025, signed a four-year, $17 million deal.
He earned just over $3 million in his rookie season, including his signing bonus. That’s solid money, no doubt-but Chambliss outpaced him without ever leaving campus.
And he’s not alone in wanting to extend his college career.
The New College “Professionals”
Carson Beck, who led the “University” of Miami to the national championship game in 2025, played his sixth season of college football last year. A few days before that title game, Beck revealed he hadn’t taken a class in two years-he’d already graduated. He was a full-time football player, earning millions in the process.
Beck’s teammate, linebacker Mohamed Toure, is stretching the timeline even further. He’s returning for his eighth year of college football in 2026. That’s not a typo-he’s been around since 2019.
The message is clear: if the money’s right, college is worth sticking around for.
Basketball’s Backdoor Return
This trend isn’t limited to football. Some former pro basketball players are now trying to work their way back into the college game.
James Nnaji is one of them. The 21-year-old Nigerian big man was the 31st overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and spent several years playing in Europe.
After stints with three NBA teams and a lucrative run overseas, Nnaji walked away from the final two years of his European contract to join Baylor midway through the current season. He’s played in six games so far, though his minutes have been trending down-he didn’t see the floor in Baylor’s latest game.
Then there’s Charles Bediako, a 23-year-old Canadian center who played 70 games for Alabama before going undrafted in 2023. He bounced around the G League and signed short-term deals with the Spurs, Nuggets, and Pistons, only to be waived each time.
Now he’s suing the NCAA for the right to return to college basketball. A judge granted him a restraining order that allowed him to play immediately-he dropped 13 points in his first game back.
Bediako’s legal team argues that when he declared for the 2023 draft, the college sports landscape looked very different. Had he known how lucrative NIL could become, he might never have left.
The NCAA’s Authority Under Pressure
The NCAA, for its part, is trying to hold the line. But its grip on eligibility rules is slipping.
“These attempts to sidestep NCAA rules and recruit individuals who have finished their time in college or signed NBA contracts are taking away opportunities from high school students,” the organization said in a statement. “A judge ordering the NCAA to let a former NBA player take the court Saturday against actual college student-athletes is exactly why Congress must step in and empower college sports to enforce our eligibility rules.”
So far, that call for help from Congress has gone unanswered. Meanwhile, the courts have been more than willing to step in-and often side with the athletes.
More Pros Heading Back to Campus
The list of former pros returning to college is growing.
Thierry Darlan, a point guard from the Central African Republic, started his professional career in Angola before joining the NBA G League in 2023. He played for three G League teams over three seasons before joining Santa Clara University in 2025. He was the first pro basketball player to be granted NCAA eligibility.
Abdullah Ahmed, an Egyptian forward who played 54 games for the Westchester Knicks in the G League, joined BYU in December. London Johnson, who skipped college altogether after high school and signed a million-dollar G League contract, is now suiting up for the University of Louisville.
The Bottom Line
In today’s college sports world, the line between amateur and professional is more blurred than ever. NIL has changed the equation. For some athletes, staying in school isn’t just about development or education-it’s the best business decision they can make.
And as long as the money keeps flowing, don’t expect that to change anytime soon.