Louie Hinchliffe decided he was good enough to turn professional in track and field after the Olympics. He has since changed his mind after a shocking ruling by the NCAA allowed him to return to Houston.
The 23-year-old pro athlete is returning to college after two years away from the program.
This controversial reinstatement not only threatens to reshape the entire landscape of track and field, it also threatens the future of college basketball and football as more and more athletes aim for a return in the era of NIL. Imagine if Sha’carri Richardson or Mondo Duplantis decided to come back?!
Louie Hinchliffe already turned pro in track and field.
As a native of Sheffield, England, Hinchliffe began his collegiate track career at Washington State in 2022. He later transferred to the University of Houston as a rising star in the 100-meter event.
His times immediately improved under the guidance of nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis.
Hinchliffe qualified for the 2024 NCAA Championship finals in the 100 with a wind-legal personal best of 10.00 in May. He ultimately won the event at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships just a few weeks later with an impressive run of 9.95.
That was ~20 months ago. Hinchliffe has lived many lives since then.
The 5-foot-9 sprinter won a national championship in Great Britain shortly after his NCAA title to qualify for the 2024 Summer Olympics. He ultimately went on to humble Noah Lyles during the preliminary rounds of competition in Paris and won a bronze medal as a member of the 4×100 relay team.
Louie Hinchliffe announced his decision to to leave the University of Houston and turn pro after his historic performance for Great Britain at the Olympics. His college career was over.
Or so it seemed…
The NCAA allowed a professional athlete to return to Houston.
The Houston Chronicle broke the news on Thursday morning. Louie Hinchliffe will be allowed to rejoin the track and field program at the University of Houston with two years of eligibility, effective immediately.
He is going to make his season debut at the Big 12 Indoor Track and Field Championships in Lubbock this weekend. It will be his first collegiate competition as a member of the Cougars since June 2024.
Hinchliffe reached out to Lewis back in October but Lewis does not train any athlete who has not graduated from college or is not actively enrolled in college. As someone who left Houston early to turn pro, Hinchliffe was neither.
That required him to complete a lengthy reinstatement process for the NCAA. The governing body of collegiate athletics officially signed off on his return, which allows him to compete this weekend.
To be fair, Hinchliffe was going to enroll in classes at Houston to train with Lewis even if his request for return was denied. And it’s not like he has been competing as a pro since the Olympics.
A stress fracture in his back and an injury to his hamstring kept Hinchliffe on the sideline for most of 2025. As did the passing of his father. He has not run in more than a few months.
Still, this ruling muddies the water even further on eligibility in college sports. Louie Hinchliffe is a 23-year-old former professional track athlete who will compete for another national championship at Houston after two years away from the sport. Fred Kerley is not impressed.
You sign a pro contract then wanna go back to school
Pick a sideThis ain’t for the soft
You said you fast… so run like itStop hiding behind age groups and comfort zones
Go line up with the wolvesNo fear no excuses no backup plan
— Fred Kerley
Either you hunting or you getting hunted
Nor is Grambling State head coach LaMonte Vaughn Jr.
I’m not upset with Louie or Houston
I’m upset with the NCAA for creating the culture where this can happen
I’m not ok with the direction college athletics is heading.
The ncaa has gone from over-regulation to deregulation. There always needed to be a medium.
Now it’s chaos.
— LaMonte Vaughn Jr.
They are not the only critics. This decision will reshape track and field forever. Other sports are soon to follow. The NCAA does not have any power.