Big 12 Follows Big Ten, SEC, Bans Return Of Professional Athletes

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - MARCH 9: A general view of the Big 12 logo, 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament logo and Phillips 66 logo on the front of a basketball hoop at the 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament in the T-Mobile Center on March 9, 2026 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Joe Gonzales/Baylor Athletics)

On Wednesday, the Big 12 joined the Big Ten and the SEC in banning athletes with professional experience from returning to NCAA competition.

The funny thing is that each conference has gone further. The Big Ten bars any underclassman who declared for the NFL Draft and failed to withdraw, signed a professional contract, or was listed on an NFL roster at any point.

The SEC bans players who have signed a contract, been on a roster, or failed to withdraw from the draft for the NFL, NBA, G League, or WNBA.

And now the Big 12 bans professionals from returning in any sport.

All three conference votes were unanimous.

What’s not clear yet is if any of this applies to European leagues, which would be a big deal for a number of schools, including Duke, which features Dame Sarr and Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje, both of whom played for FC Barcelona.

Soon, possibly by Thursday, the ACC is expected to weigh in, and it wouldn’t be surprising if the Big East did as well, although we’ve heard nothing about that.

According to Pete Thamel on X, ACC A.D.s are in agreement, but still have to get the ACC Board to sign on.

But despite that, there does seem to be a consensus that returning to college after dipping your toe into the professional waters is unacceptable.

This whole approach has really picked up steam, but the most interesting part of it is this: RJ Luis,who was under contract to two NBA teams, got a preliminary injunction on August 24 that would allow him to play, and the SEC voted 16-0 to put a stop to it on August 25.

As it turns out, LSU actually abstained from the SEC vote on penalties. It’s getting pretty crazy over there in the Situational Ethics Conference.

• Big 12 announces ban on all professionals from returning
• Big 12 joins SEC, Big Ten in banning players going from NFL back to college
• SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 ban NFL players returning to college; ACC still reviewing
• Sources: Big 12 ADs agree to ban professionals from returning
• Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 approve ban on pro players returning to college to play; ACC considering move

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