Former Texas OL sues NCAA seeking age-based eligibility in 2026
By Andrew Olson
Published:
A former Texas offensive lineman is seeking to play for the Longhorns again in 2026.
Cole Hutson has sued the NCAA seeking eligibility for the upcoming college football season. He’s pointing to the new 5 seasons in 5 years policy.
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The suit was filed in Collin County by David Obard, per Wescott Eberts.
… (C)hallenges defendant’s Seasons of Competition Rule in NCAA Bylaw 12.6 as applied to him in light of defendant’s recent rule change allowing football players graduating high school after 2022 to compete in five seasons of competition without needing to redshirt.”
“Defendant’s arbitrary application of this bylaw to plaintiff unfairly limits the number of games he can participate in during his five-year eligibility window, restrains his ability to further develop, restrains his ability to earn scholarship money as a student athlete in pursuit of his Master’s Degree, and restrains his ability to earn money through the use of his name, image, and likeness (NIL).
Hutson has 4 seasons of experience with the Longhorns. He played in 48 games from 2022-25. He was a 13-game starter as a freshman. After contributing as a reserve in 2023 and ’24, he was a 10-game starter again in 2025. Undrafted in 2026, Hutson participated in minicamp with the Dallas Cowboys.
While Steve Sarkisian‘s Longhorns are expected to contend for championships in 2026, the offensive line has been identified as a lingering question entering the fall. Many Texas fans will likely be following Hutson’s case closely to see if he’s able to join the Longhorns this fall.
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Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
