Teas Tech football coach Joey McGuire is echoing the sentiments of what college football fans across the country have been saying for weeks: nobody knows what the heck is going on.
The latest kerfuffle across the country has come from a new wave of eligibility cases that have seen players who have competed in NFL preseason games (or been in the NBA system for over a year) earning injunctions to return to college and play.
On Tuesday, Aug. 25, the Big Ten became the first league to publicly condemn the practice of teams adding such players to their football rosters, making it an official rule. The SEC upped the ante, adding the stipulation to football and basketball while giving commissioner Greg Sankey authority to punish parties that bring in players of this nature.
McGuire doesn't see these conference rules being the end of the conversation at all. In fact, it may just be the beginning.
"Because you know what's coming next," McGuire said Tuesday. "Those players are going to sue the conference. So, what do you do? I was checking with our guys today about what's the Big 12 gonna do. Again, it's going to be interesting."
Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported Tuesday night the Big 12 is expected to join the Big Ten and SEC in finalizing a similar rule in the coming days.
McGuire has been open that the Red Raiders could be adding a player or two to the roster for the 2026 season yet (they've been linked to Florida State transfer quarterback Thomas Castellanos) but said his team isn't about to add a former pro to the mix.
LSU is the main culprit of this practice, reportedly adding tight end Dae'Quan Wright (who was cut by the Cleveland Browns a few days ago) as well as defensive lineman Zxavian Harris, who spent time with the New Orleans Saints this summer.
"I understand both sides," McGuire said. "We are not looking at anybody that is in the NFL that possibly could be cut. We haven't called any NFL coaches. We haven't scouted any NFL players that I think some teams have done, but we're definitely going to look."
Lane Kiffin isn't the only LSU coach getting in on this action, though. RJ Luis, a former St. John's basketball star who won Big East player of the year for the 2024-25 season, earned an injunction in Louisiana to return to school. This comes after Luis ignored sensible advice and declared for the 2025 NBA Draft without a guaranteed landing spot.
Luis wound up going undrafted and spent time in the NBA G-League system for the 2025-26 season. He was reportedly set to sign with LSU to join Will Wade's roster. Luis, though, would now be considered ineligible again thanks to the SEC's new rules.
McGuire also brought up one of the big arguments against the current state of affairs in college sports: couldn't all of this have been avoided?
The NCAA passed the five-for-five eligibility rule in the summer though had been discussing it far longer. It also decided not to grandfather in the 2022 recruiting class, which has set off this chain reaction of lawsuits, injunctions and unknowability throughout the nation. Rosters that seem set now could be up in the air in a week's time as things move through the court system.
Logic says the NCAA should have waited until the middle of the 2026-27 academic year to institute the rule. McGuire thinks that would've been the right move, but ponders whether this is exactly what the NCAA wanted all along.
"We've got to think there might be a reason," McGuire said. "Is there a reason that the powers that be wanted the chaos to pass the bill that everybody's trying to get passed, or was it no forward thinking?"
This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Joey McGuire sees more lawsuits coming as NCAA continues to fight eligibility suits
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