Former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright has been waived by the Cleveland Browns, a team source told The Athletic. If another NFL team does not claim him, Wright could soon return to college and play for his former head coach at LSU this season.Wright, who topped 1,000 receiving yards over the last two seasons while playing for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss, suited up for the Browns in a preseason game Saturday despite entering the transfer portal two days earlier. After the game, Browns coach Todd Monken laughed at the situation.“Man, ain’t that s— crazy?” Monken told reporters. “I wondered why Lane Kiffin reached out a week ago. Now I know.”The team source who confirmed Wright had been waived spoke on condition of anonymity because the move has not been finalized.Wright is part of a lawsuit challenging new NCAA eligibility rules that give athletes a five-year window to compete in college sports.He is among a large group of athletes whose eligibility expired under the old rules after the 2025-26 school year. Those Class of 2022 high school graduates were not included in the implementation of age-based eligibility by the NCAA, and dozens have since sued the NCAA to be eligible this season.Several have won rulings in various state courts that pave the way for them to play in the upcoming school year while their cases progress through the justice system.Wright is among roughly 30 athletes, including 16 football players, who could receive a fifth year of eligibility after a Louisiana judge granted a temporary restraining order in their case.What made this group especially notable is that it included a few like Wright, who were in NFL training camps and participating in preseason games.NCAA rules prohibit players from bouncing back to college after signing pro contracts and with agents, but plaintiffs’ attorneys have said the ruling allows the athletes to return to school if they pay back any money received from teams or agents.Wright’s transfer within the SEC also seems to run up against the conference’s rule prohibiting a player who has already transferred once from switching schools again within the conference.The SEC and NCAA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Wright’s four-year college career began at Virginia Tech.The NCAA won a significant ruling Friday, when a three-judge panel paused a preliminary injunction handed down by a Colorado judge that would have made the entire Class of 2022 high school graduates eligible to return for a fifth season of college sports. The Colorado case is a federal, class-action antitrust case.Most of the cases that have won favorable rulings for athletes have been filed in state courts. Cases were filed in Ohio, Tennessee and Kentucky, among others.Aug 23, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms