Former Florida EDGE Jack Pyburn is in the middle of a rare football fork in the road, with the chance to stay in the NFL or head back to college after a Louisiana court granted temporary relief to 16 players, according to CBS Sports.
That ruling could give the group another shot at college football even after signing NFL contracts. For now, though, Pyburn is still on Tampa Bay’s books - as of Aug. 25, the Buccaneers’ official transaction log does not show him as waived or released.
Pyburn’s case centers on the NCAA eligibility clock. He is arguing that a 2023 ACL tear cut into his sophomore season, and that his path through college should not be treated the usual way. He spent three seasons at Florida from 2022 to 2024 before transferring to LSU, where he put together his strongest year in Baton Rouge.
The 6-foot-4, 264-pound Jacksonville native started 11 of 12 games for LSU and finished with 52 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. That performance earned him a 2026 Senior Bowl invitation, but it did not carry him into the draft. Pyburn went undrafted in the 2026 NFL draft before signing with the Buccaneers as a free agent.
His deal in Tampa Bay included $115,000 in guaranteed money, with a $15,000 signing bonus. If he returns the required compensation, the court ruling could clear a path for him to regain college eligibility.
If Pyburn goes back to school, LSU would be the program tied to him. The Los Angeles Times reported that Lane Kiffin has been aggressively recruiting players who could be impacted by the ruling, and that LSU could offer Pyburn an NIL package near $1 million, compared with the NFL rookie minimum of $885,000 for a full season.
Pyburn is not the only name in this lane. Former Ole Miss tight end Dae'Quan Wright has already agreed to return to LSU after being waived by the Cleveland Browns, and he could become the first player to go back to college after signing with an NFL team. The situation has already started to ripple beyond individual cases, with the Big Ten considering restrictions on former professionals returning to college.
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Hanks real momentum, though, seems to have come from what he showed to Floridas new coaches in spring practice. With coordinator Brad White now shaping the defense, Hanks is expected to have a much larger role this season, which gives the Gators a young corner with a chance to carve out meaningful snaps before the year gets away from them. The question now is how quickly that spring promise translates once the games start counting. [Read more 🡒]