Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK
College football has apparently reached the point where players can finish four seasons, prepare for the NFL, attend professional workouts and then get another recruiting pitch from Michigan in August. The sport no longer has an offseason; it has a surprise portal opening and several attorneys working overtime
Michigan has contacted former James Madison linebacker Trent Hendrick and former Western Kentucky linebacker Jaylen Wester as both explore using a fifth season of college eligibility.
The conversations have not advanced very far, but the fact that they are happening at all is completely ridiculous.
Hendrick finished last season as the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year after recording 106 tackles, seven tackles for loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles while helping James Madison reach the College Football Playoff.
He then did what college seniors traditionally do when their eligibility expires: moved on with his life and tried to make an NFL roster.
Hendrick participated in rookie minicamps with the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns. Cleveland even has photographic evidence of him wearing No. 56 at its May minicamp, which should make any potential return to a college campus feel like a student accidentally showing up for a fifth senior year after already walking across the graduation stage.
Wester also spent the spring pursuing professional football after leading Western Kentucky with 106 tackles. He added seven tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles while starting 12 games.
He worked out in front of NFL scouts at WKU’s pro day in March and went undrafted in April. A few months later, he may suddenly be one of the most experienced linebackers available to college programs.
That is a fairly aggressive career pivot for the first week of August.
Michigan Could Add A Conference Player Of The Year After Fall Camp Started
The chaos stems from a federal court ruling that granted another season to certain athletes from the 2022 high school class.
The NCAA adopted a new eligibility structure in June that allows Division I athletes to play five seasons during a continuous five-year period. Players from the 2022 class argued that they were awkwardly excluded from the change despite the previous class receiving an extra COVID season and feature classes becoming eligible for five years.
A judge agreed, creating a brand-new pool of veteran players just as teams were beginning preseason practice.
Excellent timing. No notes.
Michigan can now theoretically add a 106-tackle linebacker after opening fall camp, assuming all the legal, academic, roster and transfer hurdles can be cleared. This is basically the college football version of discovering a starting linebacker in the back of the pantry after insisting there was no food in the house.
There are still limits to the madness.
The ruling does not allow players who signed professional contracts to return to college. It also does not erase roster limits, transfer rules or the possibility that the NCAA could successfully appeal the order.
Hendrick’s rookie minicamp appearances were tryouts rather than a signed NFL contract, while Wester never signed with a team. That keeps the door open for now, although nobody should pretend this is a normal August recruitment.
Michigan’s interest also tells us something about its linebacker room.
The Wolverines lost Jaishawn Barham, Jimmy Rolder, and Ernest Hausmann to graduation or the NFL and Cole Sullivan to Oklahoma. Adding either Hendrick or Wester would provide an immediate dose of experience to a position group that does not have much of it.
Hendrick would be the real prize. He already proved he can run a defense, tackle basically everyone in sight and perform during a College Football Playoff run.
He was also working out for the four-time Super Bowl Champion Chiefs three months ago.
Now Michigan could be pitching him on homework, Saturday football and another year of cafeteria access.
College football roster construction was already completely broken. A court just clicked “randomize” a few weeks before the season.