Ex-Ole Miss starters granted restraining order for 5th year

Former Ole Miss starters Dae'Quan Wright, Zxavian Harris and Wydett Williams, all of whom signed with NFL teams this summer, are among a group of athletes who were granted a temporary restraining order Wednesday to return to college for one more season.

The trio of former Rebels standouts joined 30 other athletes from a variety of sports in a lawsuit filed against the NCAA in Louisiana state court Wednesday. The NCAA did not respond to ESPN's request for a comment Wednesday evening, but the association has appealed similar decisions made it other courts this summer.

The list of plaintiffs includes 16 football players, several who signed with NFL teams and participated in training camps earlier this month. Three of the players -- Wright, Williams and former Oregon State running back Anthony Hankerson -- are currently listed on NFL rosters for the Browns, Cardinals and Seahawks, respectively.

Those players have expressed an interest in being released from their NFL contracts, according to attorney Ryan Downton, and if their NFL teams release them by Sept. 1 they will be allowed to join a college roster under the restraining order.

Former South Carolina safety DQ Smith, LSU linebacker Jack Pyburn, James Madison linebacker Trent Hedrick and Notre Dame defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka are among the other players who joined the suit.

Their case is the latest in a wave of more than a dozen lawsuits filed this summer by athletes who want to play a fifth season of college sports. In total, more than 100 athletes are currently suing the NCAA in hopes of returning to school for one more year.

The lawsuit claims the NCAA is breaching its "covenant of good faith" by not giving these players the same opportunity to play for five years in college that past players received and future players will receive.

The NCAA changed its eligibility rules in June to allow athletes to play for five seasons within a five-year timespan which begins either when they enroll in college or in the academic year following their 19th birthday, whichever comes first. The new rule eliminates most of the waivers players received in the past to extend their time in college sports due to injuries or other extenuating circumstances.

The previous eligibility rules allowed players to compete for four seasons during a five-year window without any specific age restriction. When they voted for the change, the Division I Board of Directors opted not to include outgoing seniors who played four seasons in their first four years in college even though they would have been eligible for a fifth season under the new rules. NCAA officials said they did not want a sudden influx of returning fifth-year players to take roster spots from incoming freshmen, many of whom had already signed on to play for their teams by the time the rule was changed.

That decision prompted the current wave of lawsuits that have come through state and federal courts. In several cases, judges have granted temporary restraining orders that allow athletes to compete in the upcoming season while their case is pending.

The most significant restraining order was issued on July 31 by Colorado-based federal Judge Charlotte Sweeney, who ruled in the athletes' favor in a class action lawsuit called Wisne v. NCAA. Her order allows all athletes who started their career in the 2022-23 academic year to play for a fifth season. NCAA chief legal officer Scott Bearby called Sweeney's decision "egregious" in a memo sent to schools in late July, saying the order "invites further chaos in college sports and irreparably harms thousands of student-athletes already on campus."

Sweeney's order does not stop the NCAA from enforcing rules that prevent players from switching schools outside the transfer portal window or from prohibiting players who have signed professional sports contracts. Therefore, the players in the Louisiana case who want to transfer to a new school or return to college after signing with an NFL team need to win a restraining order in their case to play this coming season.

The NCAA has appealed Sweeney's ruling and other restraining orders issued in recent weeks. The association won an appeal earlier this week in the Borovicanin v. NCAA case filed in Ohio state court. An appeals court is likely to rule on the Wisne class action case in the coming days, according to sports law expert Sam Ehrlich.

Ehrlich, an associate professor of law at Boise State who has tracked college sport litigation closely for the past several years, said athletes continue to file cases in multiple states as added protection in case the Wisne restraining order doesn't hold up or because they want to be able to transfer to a new school.

"A lot of this is just in case Wisne fails. That's a big concern for a lot of these athletes," Ehrlich said.

None of the players in the suit are stars, which is inherent to them not being drafted and being on the fringes of the NFL.

They are, however, notable names from the sport in recent years and could help programs fill a weak spot with a starting-caliber player or address depth deficiencies with a player who brings significant experience.

Wright, the former Ole Miss tight end, is one of the most prominent names. He earned second-team All-SEC at tight end last year and earned an invitation to the NFL combine. He caught 39 balls for 635 yards in 2025 for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. He signed with the Eagles in a free agent deal and was cut and later signed with Cleveland, where he's currently on the roster.

Harris is another proven SEC starter with significant production, as he's a 6-foot-8, 330-pound defensive tackle who had 58 tackles last season. That included nine TFLs and three sacks, as he started in all 15 games. He had 10 tackles, a career high, against Georgia in 69 snaps in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals. He was waived by the Saints in August, in part because of a foot injury.

Smith, the South Carolina safety, is a quality SEC player who was a four-year starter for the Gamecocks, finishing his career with 45 starts, 228 tackles, five interceptions and 11 pass break-ups. He tried out for the Vikings in early August.