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Alabama general manager Courtney Morgan said Wednesday that conversation about NFL players returning to college was "starting to be a distraction" and new SEC rules enacted this week "help tremendously" in quieting the discussion.
SEC university presidents and chancellors voted 15-0 on Wednesday, with LSU abstaining, to approve a new rule that penalizes conference schools from adding players who have played games in the NFL, NBA or NBA G-League, or have voluntarily entered those drafts and withdrawn, or have been listed on one of those league's rosters.
Penalties would include a ban of the school's head coach for 50% of the season and a reduction of 50% of the sport's operating budget.
Said Morgan during an annual interview on Alabama's "Hey Coach" radio show: "Our players who are in our building right now have worked so hard and myself -- you always have to keep that on the periphery of what's going on and maybe have an opportunity to help your team get better -- but really, I was locked in with the guys we have in the building.
"Of course, if you can find a guy -- but really, I'm ready to play football. I'm excited to lock in with the guys that we have. I'm excited about those kids being able to go out there and showcase themselves. That's where my mind was at. You always have to do your job and know what's going on in the industry and be prepared. But I just don't see how you can keep a culture in your locker room and work this hard this late in camp to build a foundation and then that happens, and it's kind of chaotic."
On Monday, Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer said there was a possibility the Tide could add back a player whose eligibility had expired and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb spoke similarly Tuesday. Alabama had five fourth-year seniors on its 2025 roster with expired eligibility, but guard Kam Dewberry -- an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons -- was viewed as the Tide's most likely target if the rules allowed a return.
LSU been aggressive in both football and men's basketball in signing former professional players, and were planning this month on adding former Cleveland Browns tight end Dae'quan Wright after he was released by the NFL team.
Wright was a member of the high school class of 2022 whose eligibility expired earlier this year following his fourth season. Wright was not selected in the 2026 NFL draft but later signed with the Philadelphia Eagles. The NCAA later updated its eligibility rules to grant five years of eligibility for all players within an age range, but did not retroactively apply the rule to class of 2022 players with recently expired eligibility.
A federal judge in Colorado certified a class action lawsuit in July that made Wright and all other members of the class of 2022 in all sports eligible, but that injunction was stayed last week by an appeals court. Separately, Wright was part of a state court lawsuit in Louisiana this month in which a judge granted he and other players, including some on NFL rosters, a restraining order that allowed them a fifth year of eligibility and access to the transfer portal. That allowed Wright to transfer from Ole Miss to LSU, which also conflicted with the SEC's rule banning transfers within the conference for winter sports athletes who entered the portal after February 1.
An attorney for Wright and other players issued a statement following the SEC's rule change that claimed the conference is acting in contempt of court orders.
Other conferences this week, including the Big Ten, have or are attempting to pass new rules banning former NFL and NBA players.
The SEC on Monday issued a statement that players who leave college sports and sign professional contracts should not be allowed to return to college.
Alabama in January welcomed basketball player Charles Bediako back after he spent parts of two years in the NBA G-League, and was granted a temporary restraining order by a Tuscaloosa judge. However, a different judge days later denied Bediako's request for an injunction and the Alabama Supreme Court also rejected Bediako's request, ending his stint after five games.
Byrne in subsequent interviews said Alabama pursued eligibility for Bediako knowing there would be "pearl clutching" about the move and expecting renewed conversation about eligibility for former pros. The NCAA has since adopted changes to its eligibility rules that apply "post-enrollment" rules about professional contracts for former college players like Bediako to "pre-enrollment" players who played professionally before first joining a college team.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey filed an affidavit in court earlier this year opposing Bediako's eligibility, and he filed an affidavit last week in Louisiana court opposing eligibility for prospective LSU basketball player RJ Luis. The former St. John's star signed NBA contracts but did not play in the NBA G-League, and a Louisiana judge cited that nuance in granting Luis eligibility. However, LSU adding Luis would violate the SEC's new rule.