There's a dark cloud hanging over college football as Week 1 approaches. There remains a question over eligibility for dozens of athletes from the class of 2022 who are seeking a fifth season of college football, including players who were just recently on NFL rosters for the preseason.
While the NCAA and SEC have come out with staunch objections to adding former pros to college rosters, with the SEC adding significant potential penalties, it remains to be seen whether they can legally enforce those against programs adding players who have been given the legal right to play from the courts.
LSU is thumbing its nose up at the SEC with the expected additions of Jack Pyburn, Zxavian Harris, and Dae'Quan Wright. They probably won't be alone. If one team is gaining any kind of competitive advantage, others will follow to mitigate it.
Regardless of your moral feelings on it, these coaches are paid to win football games above all else. If they can legally add players who help them do that, then you can bet that they will.
And for Kalen DeBoer and Alabama, Sunday's NFL roster cuts just provided a legitimate opportunity for two former players from the class of 2022 who could pursue a return to college.
Jam Miller and Domani Jackson could pursue a return to Alabama for the 2026 season
Jam Miller and Domani Jackson were both cut from the Patriots and Packers respecitvely on Sunday, coming up short in their pursuits of making the final 53-man rosters.
Miller could be an immediate boost for Alabama's RB depth. The Crimson Tide may enter Week 1 with only four healthy scholarship running backs, with both AK Dear and EJ Crowell currently on the mend. A healthy Miller could undoubtedly make an impact for Alabama, at least early in the season.
Jackson would have a more difficult path to playing time on the 2026 Crimson Tide with how deep Alabama is in the secondary. But with freshman Jorden Edmonds projected to be out for some time, adding an experienced cornerback to the bench behind Zabien Brown and Dijon Lee could be a luxury for Kane Wommack's defense.
Some Alabama fans might wonder about Tim Keenan as well, who was released by the Los Angeles Rams in the aftermath of the return of Aaron Donald from retirement. Keenan is from the class of 2021, however, and already played five seasons of college football with a redshirt year in 2021. He would not have the same legal argument as the class of 2022, and will likely wind up on the Rams' practice squad with the chance of moving up to the main roster some time during the season.
As of now, neither Miller nor Jackson has shown up in any lawsuits or signaled a willingness to want to return to college football. If they do, it's not immediately known whether Alabama would be willing to bring them back, either.
There's still a lot unknown about potential penalties associated with it, and it's probably not worth the risk or the distraction this close to the season. But the option is there now, just five days before the Crimson Tide kicks off the 2026 season against East Carolina.
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