Texas offensive lineman Cole Hutson tested the waters of the NFL, attending rookie camps with the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns.
However, it became rapidly apparent that he wouldn't make it at the next level, not yet at least, and he decided to fight his way back to the NCAA, hopefully returning to the Longhorns.
Since then, he has gone through court battles, received a TRO, and gained an additional year of eligibility. Hutson is back on the Texas Longhorns' roster, and that much is official.
Even when the SEC announced a conference-wide mandate, barring athletes who had signed NFL contracts from returning to the NCAA, Hutson's eligibility would not be affected.
The SEC announced that any team that tried to roster a player who had previously signed a contract at the professional level (in the NFL, NBA, WNBA, etc.) and had not formally withdrawn would suffer four penalties:
- Half-season suspensions for head coaches
- SEC voting privileges revoked
- Fine of 50% of the sport's annual budget
- SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey could levy other penalties
Sources to @CBSSports: Earlier this morning, the SEC finalized the following punishments for any program that tries to roster a player who previously signed a pro contract (and/or declared and didn’t formally withdraw) with the NFL, NBA, G League or WNBA, per bylaw 4.4.3 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/dLAxPwYZMy
— Matt Norlander (@MattNorlander) August 26, 2026
Then, the conference voted on the matter and had a unanimous 15-0 vote in favor of the punishments, with the LSU Tigers abstaining from the vote.
Cole Hutson's 5th-year eligibility not at risk after attending NFL rookie camps
Because Hutson received a previous TRO (Temporary Restraining Order) to return to the NCAA and was named in an individual lawsuit against the NCAA to earn an additional year of eligibility, he is not grouped into the swarm of athletes trying to return to college after making it all the way to preseason games.
After going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, Hutson never signed a contract as an undrafted free agent (UDFA) and attended the rookie camps in hopes of catching one team's attention, but those efforts fell short as well.
Because he never signed a contract, he is not lumped into the group of players who did sign contracts, with some even participating in NFL preseason games, before trying to come back for more college ball.
Instead, Hutson saw the writing on the wall and made the decision to start the process to return to the 40 acres.
Before ever trying his luck at the next level, Hutson had played in 48 games and started in 23 matchups for the Longhorns. He was a member of a Texas O-Line that was selected as a Joe Moore Award finalist in both 2024 and 2023.
Hutson was also a 2023 Academic All-Big 12 Second Team member and a three-time member of the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll (spring 2022, fall 2022, spring 2023).
Ultimately, you could see Hutson suit up at any point for the Horns this season, and the SEC's latest rulings won't change that... for now, at least (who really knows with how often college football changes?).
Add us as a preferred source on Google