Could Jets Roster Cuts Return to College Under New NCAA Rules?

There is a new wrinkle to NFL roster cuts this year. Recent NCAA eligibility changes and court rulings could allow some players who are waived by NFL teams to return to college football. It isn’t as simple as getting cut and going back to school, though. Eligibility depends on each player’s college history, and several of the rules are still being challenged in court. With that in mind, here is what we know so far and a look at some Jets bubble players who could potentially be impacted.

What Changed With NCAA Eligibility?

In June, the NCAA Division I Cabinet approved a new age-based eligibility model.  The NCAA is moving away from the traditional system that generally gave athletes four seasons of competition within a five-year window. There is an important catch. According to the NCAA’s transition rules, players who used their final season of competition during the 2025-26 academic year do not automatically receive another season.

That distinction has resulted in multiple lawsuits. A Louisiana court recently issued a temporary restraining order covering a group of athletes challenging the NCAA’s eligibility restrictions. Among them are former Ole Miss players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, who signed NFL contracts this off season before being waived. The Louisiana court order created a potential path for those players to return to college, provided they terminate their professional contracts and return money received as professionals.

This is different from an earlier federal ruling in Colorado. U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney subsequently clarified that her ruling granting certain athletes a fifth year did not override NCAA rules preventing players who had signed professional contracts from returning to college.

Making things even more complicated, the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC have moved to restrict former professional players from returning to their conferences. Those rules are already facing legal challenges of their own, with a Texas judge temporarily blocking the SEC’s restriction.

The NFL Has Responded

The NFL has addressed the possibility as well. According to the NFL’s guidance, a player who leaves the NFL and returns to college football cannot return to the league during the 2026 season. Instead, that player would become eligible to sign with an NFL team as a free agent in 2027.

That makes a lot of sense and clears up some questions. A scenario with a player appearing in college and the NFL in the same season isn’t realistic. That’s some video game stuff right there. The NFL also eliminated another interesting possibility: these players won’t go through the NFL Draft a second time.

For a player who gets waived, though, there could be a real decision to make: pursue an NFL practice squad spot or, if eligible, return to college for another season and potentially earn NIL money.

Which Jets Players Could Be Impacted?

We took a quick look at several Jets bubble players to see who might have eligibility remaining. This is a complicated and rapidly changing situation, so we’re not presenting these as official NCAA eligibility determinations. This is simply what our research into each player’s college history shows right now.

Malik McClain, WR — Appears to Have Exhausted His Eligibility

McClain is one of the more interesting players fighting for a roster spot. The undrafted rookie has flashed throughout training camp and is battling for one of the final wide receiver spots.

He began his college career at Florida State in 2021, played there for two seasons, transferred to Penn State in 2023 and then spent 2024 and 2025 at Arizona State. The Jets detailed McClain’s college journey recently.

Our read is that McClain does not currently have an automatic path back to college. He completed his eligibility under the previous system and isn’t one of the players currently protected by the Louisiana court order. Additional litigation could potentially change that, but right now he appears to be out of eligibility.

Jaden Keller, LB – Appears to Have Exhausted His Eligibility

Keller is a good example of why simply counting years in college doesn’t tell the whole story. The Virginia Tech linebacker entered college in 2021 and appeared in four games as a freshman before redshirting. He then played four additional seasons for the Hokies, finishing with 52 games and 181 tackles. You can see his college history in the Jets announcement after signing Keller.

Under the traditional NCAA system, Keller had five years to play four seasons. His 2021 redshirt preserved a season of competition, but he subsequently used all four. Based on that, Keller appears to have exhausted his eligibility unless the changing legal landscape eventually gives players in his situation another opportunity.

Mory Bamba, CB – Eligibility Status Is Less Clear

Bamba may be one of the more interesting Jets players to watch. His college path was unusual, including stops at ASA College and Tyler Junior College before arriving at BYU. Bamba redshirted at BYU in 2022 and then played for the Cougars through the 2025 season. His junior college history makes the calculation less straightforward than some of the other players on this list. Based on a quick review, Bamba is one player whose eligibility status would be worth watching if the Jets waive him. Although with his performance in the first preseason game, he seems like he has a future in the NFL.

Chip Trayanum, RB – Appears to Have Exhausted His Eligibility

Trayanum began his college career at Arizona State in 2020 and later played at Ohio State, Kentucky and Toledo. His 2024 season at Kentucky was limited by injury before he played at Toledo in 2025. Toledo lists Trayanum as having played five college seasons. Based on that history, he appears to have exhausted his eligibility and would likely need relief through the NCAA’s changing rules or the ongoing court challenges to return.

Anthony Dunn Jr., EDGE – Appears to Have Used Four Seasons

Dunn played at Florida A&M in 2022 and 2023 before transferring to Toledo, where he played in 2024 and 2025. That appears to give Dunn four seasons of college competition. Based on our quick research, there isn’t an obvious unused season available to him. Like McClain and Keller, however, he is the type of player who could become more interesting if the current eligibility challenges expand.

Dominic Richardson, RB – Appears to Have Exhausted His Eligibility

Richardson began his college career at Oklahoma State in 2020, later transferred to Baylor and finished at Tulsa in 2025. One important part of his history is that Richardson stopped playing after four games at Baylor in 2024 to preserve a redshirt and another year of eligibility. He then used that season at Tulsa in 2025. Based on that timeline, Richardson appears to have exhausted his available college eligibility.

Tanner Wall, S – Appears to Have Exhausted His Eligibility

Wall spent his college career at BYU and had a lengthy run with the Cougars before entering the NFL. Based on his college history, there isn’t an obvious unused season of eligibility remaining. Our initial read is that Wall would fall into the same category as several of the other Jets on this list: another college season would likely require the NCAA rules or current court decisions to change.

Something to Watch During Jets Roster Cuts

After looking through the Jets roster, there doesn’t appear to be an obvious player we can definitively say will be able to return to college if he is waived. Bamba has the least straightforward eligibility history, while McClain, Keller, Trayanum, Dunn, Richardson and Wall all appear to have used their available seasons under the rules that applied to them.

But that’s part of what makes this story interesting. Players are already challenging the NCAA’s decision not to extend the new eligibility system retroactively, and additional NFL cuts could create more players with an incentive to do the same. We will keep an eye on the Jets roster and the court rulings as final cuts are made. If you see a player we missed or have more information on any of these eligibility situations, join the NCAA eligibility discussion in our Jets forum.

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