There has been a unique development in the larger NCAA eligibility controversy. Linebacker Jack Pyburn, who was evaluating a return from the NFL to college football with LSU, has been claimed by the Kansas City Chiefs on waivers from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, ending that pursuit.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
“Former LSU and Buccaneers edge Jack Pyburn was claimed on waivers by the Chiefs,” Senior ESPN insider Adam Schefter reported on X. “He has informed LSU that he is withdrawing his claim in the NCAA’s ‘5-for-5’ eligibility litigation and will remain in the NFL rather than return to LSU, per his agents Christian Addison and Harold Lewis.”
Pyburn was one of many athletes who planned to return to college football after a Louisiana court ruling gave them a temporary restraining order for a fifth year of eligibility. The ruling was against part of the NCAA’s new “5-for-5” eligibility rules finalized in June, which granted five years of eligibility to players without the eligibility clock stopping for injuries, transfers, or delayed enrollments, meaning teams no longer have to track athletic redshirts.
However, the NCAA did not take into account the High School graduating class of 2022. So the players from that class who had left college to ply their trade as a pro felt they were wronged, as they could have played in college for another year. This prompted over 30 players, including Jack Pyburn to file a lawsuit.
But the path to actually being eligible to return wasn’t as easy as one might think it was. Amid the ongoing controversy, the NFL reiterated the rules for players who decided to leave an NFL team to go back to college. Those players would need to terminate their contracts with their NFL teams and repay any money they received from the team. Moreover, they couldn’t return to play in the NFL in 2026 and would become a free agent in 2027.
Pyburn, who spent his first three collegiate years with the Florida Gators, joined LSU last year, posting 52 tackles in total, including 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. He also defended a pass and recovered a fumble.
The complicated part of playing college football will not concern Pyburn now. He had signed a three-year, $3.11 million contract with the Buccaneers in early May, with $115,000 fully guaranteed, including a $15,000 signing bonus. The Chiefs, having claimed him from waivers, will go ahead with the same contract.
The Chiefs recently announced their initial 53-man roster, with the linebacker room including two-time Super Bowl winners Nick Bolton and Jack Cochrane, Super Bowl champion Drue Tranquill, and youngsters Cooper McDonald and Jeffrey Bassa. Pyburn is likely seen as an addition to the roster for emergencies.
While Pyburn now looks toward a new chapter in the NFL, he has washed out all plans for LSU, an organization that has been the center of controversy lately.
The LSU Spider-Web that Caused a Bold SEC Reaction
Jack Pyburn wasn’t the only NFL returnee that LSU tried to recruit for the upcoming season. Tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive lineman Zxavian Harris were also linked to LSU after getting a temporary restraining order from the Louisiana court.
After being waived by the Cleveland Browns and the New Orleans Saints, respectively, both wanted to reunite with their former Ole Miss coach, Lane Kiffin, now at LSU.
The possibility of such moves actually going through because of the court ruling prompted the Power Four conferences to impose new bans. The Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, and the ACC implemented a new set of rules barring NFL players from joining a college football team again.
The SEC, under which LSU falls, previously announced a penalty structure for signing a former NFL player that includes a half-season suspension for the head coach and a 50 percent financial penalty based on the sport’s annual budget.
Amid the chaos, coach Kiffin is in favor of former NFL players returning to college teams.
“At the end of the day, because of these rulings, they’re either going to play for you, or they’re going to play for someone else around the country. So we’ve made the decision to recruit them like probably most people are,” he said last week.
Now that Pyburn has informed LSU of his decision, this puts the team in a dicey spot, considering the season starts for them on September 5 against the Clemson Tigers. Meanwhile, a preliminary injunction hearing in the case is scheduled for September 3.