The on again, off again saga of Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Cole Hutson is off again. Hutson has been ruled ineligible by the NCAA, according to UT coach Steve Sarkisian. Hutson did not play against Texas State.
Hutson regained a fifth year of eligibility in a court case after participating in two NFL minicamps. Sarkisian says Hutson's case is not related to the wider ruling.
"Technically today he is ineligible, not because of the ruling, because of something different when it comes to the NCAA that he's working through," Sarkisian said Monday. "But as I said before, we are respecting the SEC's decision and once he can get cleared and if he gets cleared from the NCAA, then we'll go back to the SEC and what does that look like?"
Texas football
coach Steve Sarkisian said offensive lineman Cole Hutson has been ruled ineligible by the NCAA. Sarkisian said it's not because of the ruling but because of something else, according to the NCAA. Sarkisian said they are working to clear that up so Hutson can become… pic.twitter.com/pCj3Q9oLCl
— Anwar Richardson (@AnwarRichardson) September 7, 2026
The lineman rejoined the team last month. He was granted a temporary restraining order in August by Judge Daniella Deseta Lyttle. Hutson was scheduled to have another hearing on Aug. 10, also in front of civil district court Judge Lyttle. That hearing became moot after a group of athletes in the 2022 recruiting class filed a class action lawsuit against the NCAA seeking extra eligibility for the new academic year while claiming the NCAA violated federal antitrust law.
Hutson reached an agreement with the NCAA to return. He was not impacted by the SEC ruling against former NFL players. Hutson doesn't technically fit into any of the three categories listed by the league.
The SEC provisions are:
- Previously declared for the NFL, NBA, or WNBA draft, and did not appropriately withdraw.
- Signed a contract with an NFL (or other professional football league), NBA/G League, or WNBA (or affiliate) team, or ...
- Been listed on an NFL (or other professional football league), NBA/G League, or WNBA (or affiliate) roster."
Hutson didn't declare for the NFL draft because he was, at the time, out of eligibility. He didn't have to withdraw from the draft because he didn't have to declare. In addition, Hutson was not picked in the 2026 NFL Draft. The Austin native was invited to participate in rookie minicamps with the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns, but he never signed a contract. He didn't join any team as an undrafted free agent and he did not appear on an NFL roster.
"He falls under a little different caveat," Sarkisian said. "We'll leave it up to the NCAA and then we'll leave it up to the SEC to determine if he's eligible to play for us or not."
But something has popped up behind the scenes. Sark his staff are working through it.
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This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Texas Longhorns OL Cole Hutson ruled ineligible by NCAA
