SEC adopts rules banning professional athletes from returning to college sports
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Southeastern Conference's stance on professional athletes returning to college sports is now crystal clear.
On Tuesday, the SEC announced a new set of rules that will ban former professional athletes from returning to play at any of their 16 member institutions. In a statement on social media, the league said that following a meeting with presidents, chancellors and athletic directors, the SEC will not permit an athlete to appear on any of its roster who has:
- 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.
The release said that SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey is authorized to enforce those rules with penalties against member institutions.
Those new rules create an interesting situation for former Mizzou men's basketball star Mark Mitchell, who played for the Denver Nuggets in Summer League action after going undrafted in the 2026 NBA Draft. He recently decided to come back to college, after coming out as a winner in a court case in Kentucky, where a judge granted him and other athletes a temporary restraining order to earn a fifth year of eligibility and enter the transfer portal. After that, he immediately hit the portal and committed to play his fifth season Kentucky.
Following his final season in Columbia, Mitchell declared for the NBA Draft and played in NBA Summer League action for the Nuggets, but reportedly never put pen to paper on his Exhibit-10 deal. Plus, at the time, he had no collegiate left, so he was automatically eligible for the NBA Draft and did not need to technically 'declare.' So, at this point, it's unclear if these new SEC rules will make Mitchell ineligible for the 2026-27 season.
According to CBS Sports college hoops insider Jon Rothstein, sources said that the new guidelines mean that any player that signed an Exhibit-10 contract will not be eligible to play in the conference. However, players who played in NBA Summer League could still be eligible to play, since play in summer league isn't necessarily a standard NBA deal.
For Mitchell and the Wildcats, there is still a lot of time before the season tips off, which means they'll have to get it sorted out with the Southeastern Conference in the coming weeks.
Then, there's Mizzou defensive tackle Sterling Webb.
He also went to court for a fifth year of eligibility, ahead of Mizzou's 2026 season. Over the summer, he was granted a temporary restraining order by a St. Louis County judge and then immediately came to rejoin the Tigers for fall camp.
Webb went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, but did participate in the East-West Shrine Bowl, attended the Kansas City Chiefs' local pro day and was invited to the Buffalo Bills' post-draft minicamp. However, it's important to note that none of those activities made him an NFL player, which would mean he would remain eligible.
Mizzou Athletics has not put out any statement on the matter, at this point.
The Southeastern Conference's decision to adopt these new guidelines comes just hours after the Big 10 became the first conference to ban former professional players from returning to their league.
But, the decision from the SEC doesn't come as a surprise. In fact, on Monday, the conference released the following statement:
"College athletes, not former professional athletes, have been at the heart of the Southeastern Conference. Individuals who choose to leave college athletics, sign professional playing contracts, and compete professionally should not then be permitted to return to college competition.Allowing that to occur will blur the line between college and professional sports, create significant equity concerns, and reduce opportunities for high school and current college athletes. College sports are for college athletes. The current confusion around nationally eligibility standards emphasizes the need to advance to Protect College Sports act."
Stay tuned for updates.
