Texas offensive lineman Cole Hutson is still waiting on a green light, and for now, he’s not eligible to take the field.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian addressed the situation Monday before Texas’ Week 2 game against Ohio State, and he made it clear the issue isn’t tied to the SEC’s recent ruling about players returning to college football from the NFL. Instead, Sarkisian said Hutson is working through a separate NCAA matter.
“Technically today he is ineligible, not because of the ruling, because of something different when it comes to the NCAA that he's working through,” Sarkisian said.
That means Hutson’s status remains unresolved after he did not play in Texas’ season opener against Texas State. Sarkisian said Hutson is now in an appeal process with the NCAA as he tries to regain eligibility.
“He's in an appeal process with the NCAA, so that that's kind of where that's at,” Sarkisian said.
Hutson had returned to the Longhorns during fall camp after taking part in rookie minicamp with the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns. He never signed a professional contract, which Sarkisian stressed makes his situation different from the one that sparked so much attention around the SEC’s new three-part ruling.
“But as I said before, 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. And what does that look like?
You know, he falls under a little different category than what so much of the hoopla was made around. I think it needs to be stated and it needs to be clear.”
Sarkisian added: “Cole never signed a professional contract. He was never technically a professional player.
He tried out, you know, and that's what those tryout camps were. You know, when he went to the Cowboys, I believe, and the Browns, but he was technically not a signed player.
And so he falls under a little different caveat. We'll leave it up to the NCAA, and then we'll leave it up to the to the SEC to determine if he's eligible to play for us or not.”
For now, the Longhorns are waiting on the NCAA to decide what comes next.
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