Which All-Sun Belt players can return to college after court ruling?

On Friday evening of July 31 — exactly 29 days before the 2026 college football season kicks off — game-changing news came out of the U.S. District Court of Colorado. The court ruling by Judge Charlotte Sweeney granted a preliminary injunction that requires the NCAA to provide an additional year of eligibility to all athletes who graduated high school in 2022 and exhausted their eligibility during the 2025-26 academic year.

The ruling aligns with the Protect College Sports Act, a bill currently on the Senate floor which proposes a 5-year eligibility window for all student-athletes. However, before this dramatically shakes up collegiate rosters during fall camp, the ruling is expected to be appealed by the NCAA per a memo issued by NCAA Chief Legal Officer Scott Bearby.

After Friday’s news, graduated players from across the country expressed interest in returning to college football. The Sun Belt Conference had several of its stars express interest, per On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos, including former James Madison inside linebacker Trent Hendrick and ULM defensive end Kevontay Wells. The NCAA cannot bar players from entering the transfer portal per Sweeney’s ruling, so affected players have the option to return to their schools or transfer elsewhere.

Below is a list players who graduated high school in 2022 who are NOT currently on NFL rosters. These players would be granted a fifth year of eligibility by the court ruling:

• Old Dominion OT Zach Barlev (currently on the Ottawa Redblacks’ CFL roster)
• James Madison ILB Trent Hendrick (participated in mini camp with Cleveland Browns and Kansas City Chiefs)
• Marshall CB Boogie Trotter

• Georgia Southern RB OJ Arnold
• Marshall WR Demarcus Lacey
• Georgia Southern G Pichon Wimbley
• Texas State ILB Treylin Payne

• Appalachian State RB Rashod Dubinion
• Troy G Matt Henry
• Appalachian State CB Ethan Johnson
• Georgia Southern RS/WR Dalen Cobb

• Arkansas State DT Simeon Mitchell
• South Alabama SS Christopher Wallace Jr.
• Troy WR Tray Taylor
• ULM RB Zach Palmer-Smith
• ULM DE Kevontay Wells.

There are five 2025 All-Sun Belt players (including honorable mention) who graduated high school in 2022 and are currently on NFL rosters:

• Georgia State WR Ted Hurst (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 3rd round pick)
• Louisiana ILB Jaden Dugger (San Francisco 49ers, 5th round pick)
• Georgia Southern WR Camden Brown (Dallas Cowboys, UDFA)
• Georgia Southern WR Marcus Sanders Jr. (Minnesota Vikings, UDFA)
• James Madison SS Jacob Thomas (Minnesota Vikings, UDFA)

However, these players could return to school under the ruling, as players cut from NFL training camps would still be eligible for a fifth season of college football.