Steve Sarkisian should fall in line with Greg Sankey on pros returning to NCAA

Of course, after the NCAA’s stay request was granted, all of this is a moot point. However, with how often the rules seem to change in college athletics, we might as well prepare for the latest ruling to be undone.

All of that being said, this is truly a first for me, agreeing with SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey, that is.

It isn't often I find myself aligned with one of the more heavily criticized figures in all of college athletics. However, when it comes to Sankey's opinion on former professional athletes returning to the NCAA, I have to agree.

Sankey recently filed an affidavit stating that any athlete who has signed a professional contract should not be allowed to return to the collegiate level.

This came after the recent five-and-five ruling, granting a fifth year of eligibility for athletes in the class of 2022, catching the attention of quite a few former college football players who are looking more and more likely to get cut from their NFL team's 53-man roster.

Sankey is adamantly against the possibility of someone returning to college simply due to the fact that they "didn't make it" in the NFL.

"These rules are grounded in the principle that athletics are an integral part of the academic experience," Sankey wrote. "The rules align the time permitted for college athletics with the pursuit of an undergraduate education and further the important purpose of preserving opportunities for future student-athletes to participate in college sports."

Texas head football coach Steve Sarkisian should toe the line and adhere to what his conference commissioner is saying.

The Texas Longhorns already allowed Cole Hutson to return after the offensive lineman participated in NFL rookie camps over the summer, and that was already a stretch. While Hutson had never signed an official contract at the next level, he still participated in professional camps.

Hutson, despite all of this, is still eligible to play for the Longhorns this season because he was granted an individual temporary restraining order (TRO) from the NCAA.

Keeping up with all of this? It's okay. We barely are.

However, there are more former Horns who could look to make a return to the 40 Acres, and it's something that Sarkisian shouldn't touch, even with a 10-foot pole.

Texas Longhorns should leave Ethan Burke, Jaylon Guilbeau, others alone

That includes linebacker Ethan Burke and defensive back Jaylon Guilbeau, who are currently on NFL rosters but could very likely see themselves cut in the next few days as teams make the jump from 90-man to 53-man rosters.

And, of course, with the latest ruling, Sarkisian and the Horns can't touch any of the players currently on an NFL roster, and that is just another reason why they shouldn't.

If Texas brought back players like Burke, Guilbeau, and others who just spent the summer at the next level, it would undeniably add depth to the roster, but that depth could disappear in the blink of an eye with a court ruling, just like it did today.

Not to mention the fact that Texas's roster is currently full, so there is genuinely no room for these players to join the team anyway, unless Sarkisian made cuts.

If Sarkisian did make cuts, it would lead to yet another snowball effect, with those players arguing they lost a year of playing and should therefore receive a fifth season of eligiblity since they were cut from the team so close to the season kicking off.

Simply put, this is a mess that is only going to get messier.

Ultimately, Sarkisian and the Longhorns should let a sleeping dog lie and stick with the offseason recruiting work and transfer portal additions that the team already made. If they don't, it would most likely only lead to bigger headaches than anything is worth.

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