It’s unclear exactly when college sports will return to normal, or if we’ll be seeing college football at all this season, but in the wake of the 2019 NFL Draft, Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh has proposed a radically different eligibility system that would provide major benefits to elite college players who have the potential to go pro.
In an open letter to the “football community,” Harbaugh called for changes that would allow college players of any age to declare for the NFL Draft – and for those players to be allowed to return to college if they go undrafted. Harbaugh also wants players to be able to return to college on scholarship after their pro careers have ended to have the chance to finish their degrees.
In an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show on Tuesday, Harbaugh laid out his plan.
“A player could submit his name to the NFL Draft after any season – freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, or after a fifth year – and if the NFL does draft them they would become a pro. But the second part is they could return to play college football if they’re not drafted. Which, right now, that’s not the case. If somebody submits their name for the draft, they’re gone. So, creating more options.
And then the third piece of it is, if a player leaves college and pursues his pro career, plays pro ball, then after his pro career, then he could return to college as a student and finish his degree at the expense of the university. Options that would ultimately give the player a shot at a college career, a shot at a pro career if good enough, and also make sure that the youngster gets his degree…. The alarming thing is the amount of youngsters who come out early for the draft and then play or don’t play. A lot of times not even get drafted – about 30 percent go undrafted that leave after their third year. And then it’s over. There is no coming back to college, [you] don’t even have the degree and you don’t have the pro career.”
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is perhaps the best example for why eligibility rules may need to change. Lawrence has been viewed as a top NFL prospect since his rookie season, and had he been allowed to enter the 2019 Draft, it’s almost certain that he would have been selected with the No. 1 overall pick. Instead, Lawrence has to remain at college for one more season before he can land a massive NFL contract.
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