College football’s amateur-to-pro barrier has not only loosened but has been blown wide open ever since the NCAA gave the green signal to the new 5-in-5 eligibility structure. The new rule lets players suit up for five full seasons instead of four, but because the NCAA didn’t apply it backward, the 2022 class got locked out after already finishing 4 years. This decision has since led to lawsuits representing dozens of athletes across the country, creating an opening for players who had already signed with NFL teams to secure court orders for an additional season of eligibility to play college football.

2x Super Bowl champion and former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, James “Deebo” Harrison feels that having players who have already been through training camps going back into college rosters is crossing a line. 

In a recent episode of his Deebo & Joe podcast, Deebo noted that NFL rookies are taking away life-changing scholarships and opportunities from fresh-out-of-high-school freshmen.

“The biggest issue, bro, is like you’re cutting out like a whole group of guys, especially young guys. That’s who’s going to lose: the young guys that got the scholarships that are already there. And now all of a sudden you have this, and now they’re taking away a scholarship from a young dude who may just only be there trying to, you know, he trying to get some… he trying to get some paper. But now they done took that away cuz they got to get some paper to go ahead and pay some paper and all that other stuff. 

“So now what you going to have happening is, like, hell, you got rookies that if they still got eligibility left and this goes through and this stuff is good, it sets precedent. Now college teams looking at the NFL rookie list: who got eligibility left that ain’t make it or go in the practice squad? ‘Hey, come on over here. You play for us, we give you a few million. Don’t sit over there for them couple hundred thousand.'”

The controversy began when Cleveland Browns rookie TE Dae’Quan Wright hit the NCAA transfer portal while still on the Browns roster. 

Browns HC Todd Monken expressed shock about Dae’Quan Wright’s situation, even adding, “Man, isn’t this s— crazy? I don’t even know what to say” at a post-game presser after the latter had completed his offseason and preseason training camps with the Browns. 

With college football locking rosters at 105 spots, every single scholarship counts. When a 24-year-old grown man who is entering his athletic prime drops back down from an NFL camp, an 18-year-old freshman who isn’t fully physically developed loses their spot.

For these younger kids, losing that scholarship means losing their best shot at a college degree. Harrison stressed that the young players count on these scholarships to complete their education.

Former Pro Bowl cornerback and Deebo Harrison’s co-host, Joe Haden, shed light on the financial incentives involved that are turning the heads of NFL rookies unable to make it on a roster.

NFL practice squad salaries hover around $200,000 annually, mostly without guarantees. In contrast, top college collectives offer $1 million deals, allowing older athletes who are coming in with NFL-level training camp experience to make much more money playing against teenagers than grinding it out with the pros.