OTF Premium What Cole Hutson's lawsuit against the NCAA could mean for Texas in 2026

[Jeff Howe]

If Cole Hutson, who is suing the NCAA to gain an additional season of eligibility, becomes a member of the 2026 roster, his return will check two important boxes for Texas.

A team that could play upwards of 17 games needs as much quality depth as possible. With 48 games played and 23 career starts under his belt, Hutson's return would immediately provide the Longhorns with experienced depth at all three interior line spots. Even if he needs time to adjust to being back in a team setting after missing spring practice, Hutson would be a tremendous insurance policy if there’s an injury to one of the current projected starters on the interior (Connor Robertson at center, Brandon Baker at right guard and Laurence Seymore at left guard) or if a performance issue forces Steve Sarkisian and Kyle Flood to make a change.

Just as important as Hutson’s experience is what he brings to the table from a culture standpoint. In the transfer portal/NIL era of college athletics, it helps to have a player on your team like Hutson. He's proven himself to be a good locker room presence, is someone folks in the building like having around and he cares about wearing the Texas uniform.

Hutson can make positive contributions to a squad expected to compete for a national championship, even if he’s made his last start as a Longhorn.

***

While Hutson would be an option at center upon returning to the team, the offense was better last season with Robertson at center and Hutson at left guard. Still, Hutson’s experience makes him a better option in a pinch than Jackson Christian, Dylan Sikorski or any other option the staff looked at during spring practice (ideally, Christian, Sikorski and the other young linemen in Flood's room would continue to develop with Hutson in place as a stop-gap measure to avoid forcing them into action before they're ready).

The No. 2 center on the depth chart is a spot nobody spends much time thinking about until that player is pressed into action. If Hutson’s return sees him called upon to fill in for Robertson, his experience combined with what would figure to be an upgrade at left guard (Seymore over Nick Brooks or Connor Stroh) would make the conditions ripe for a more productive run than the one he had in his five starts at center in 2025.

***

What does Hutson’s potential return say about the state of the left guard spot with less than three weeks to go until the start of preseason practice?

I don’t think the staff would welcome Hutson back because they’re disappointed with Seymore, Sikorski, Jaydon Chatman or anyone else competing to occupy the starting spot Hutson held for the last five games of the season. This is a case of Sarkisian doing what he didn’t do heading into 2025, when he left too many things to chance, resulting in an offensive line that operated with little to no margin for error.

Since Seymore didn’t go through spring practice and arrived on campus in June, it’ll be a few weeks into camp before the staff has a reasonable feel for what the Western Kentucky transfer brings to the table. Even if an eligible Hutson couldn’t overtake Seymore or Chatman for the starting job, him providing a push that results in a true winner emerging from the impending camp battle is much better than if the coaches felt like they were rolling the dice on a starter heading into the Sept. 5 season opener against Texas State.

Whether Hutson gains eligibility and picks up where he left off or not, making Seymore work to win the job is what will be best for the Texas offensive line in 2026.

***

Before anyone cries foul or tries to find fault in what Texas is doing when examining Hutson’s situation, it’s worth going back to something Sarkisian said at his Touchdown Club of Houston press conference in May.

When explaining comments he made in an interview with USA Today’s Matt Hayes, including saying that “all you have to do is take basket weaving, and you can get an Ole Miss degree” to describe potential hurdles when recruiting a transfer, Sarkisian voiced his frustration with college football’s governance and oversight, or lack thereof:

“We're not governed by one thing and that's one of the major issues. That's why we're striving so hard for federal intervention that we're struggling to get, so that we can police these things that we have in place. Because if not, any time somebody does something that is against the rules, and against the rules for a group that we all signed up to be part of. We all sign up to be a part of the NCAA and we agree to these rules. We make the rules. But then, when we break a rule, we want to run to a judge in our hometown and get an injunction against that rule to get that player eligible. That doesn't make sense to me. We aren't policing our own rules. Why do we need federal intervention? For that very reason. Now, we're struggling to get that done. That's why there's been all of this talk of potential breaking away. Could college football break away from the NCAA? It's not to break away to get away from everybody. It's to break away so that we can actually govern the rules that we're putting in place.”

The difference between Hutson seeking a fifth year of eligibility and the saga that ended with Texas Tech and Brendan Sorsby parting ways is that Hutson and Texas didn’t break a rule.

With a judge already granting an injunction for a group of men’s and women’s college basketball players who sought additional eligibility based on the NCAA’s application of its age-based eligibility model beginning with the 2026-27 academic year, this is Hutson shooting his shot to see if he can get one more season on the Forty Acres. For those who can’t understand the difference between a player in the midst of pursuing a postgraduate degree asking a judge if the NCAA’s "arbitrary application of this bylaw,” according to the lawsuit, which was filed Friday in Travis County, means he can play one more season (for what it’s worth, Hutson played nine games in 2023 after starting all 13 for Texas as true freshman, but an offseason shoulder surgery opened the door for DJ Campbell to enter the starting lineup and limited Hutson to a career-low 144 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus) and a player suspended by the NCAA trying to find a loophole to avoid punishment, no explanation will suffice.

To Sarkisian’s point, it’s currently open to interpretation what the rules are and how they should be enforced. At the very least, if Hutson can get closer to completing his MBA and spend one more fall while helping the football team, it should be considered a win-win for all parties involved.

View full news story

[Jeff Howe]

I thought long and hard about that Sark quote after everything unfolded with Cole Hutson's situation this morning. When it comes to eligibility, I can't say that I 100 percent approve of student-athletes closing in on their mid-20s getting more eligibility, but, as is the case with a lot of things the NCAA has done in the last few years, leaving room for interpretation or being loose with the rules it applies means it has done this to itself.

If there's one thing the NCAA dislikes more than giving the players a piece of the pie, it's litigation. That's why I don't think there's going to be a ton of resistance if these injunctions in particular are granted.

[sbk]

2 minutes ago, Jeff Howe said:

I can't say that I 100 percent approve of student-athletes closing in on their mid-20s getting more eligibility

Don’t say that around Curt Cignetti

[Joe Zura]

Great article Jeff 

[SuperDave0805]

Maybe the offense was better with Robertson at center because Hutson wasn't a turnstile at guard the way Stroh and Brooks were, Still boggles my mind it took half the season for Flood to make that change 

[Triplettjoseph]

Should he get a yes or no on this within the next 3 weeks? 

Edited 3 hours ago by Triplettjoseph

[GoHorns1]

@Jeff Howe% of Cole Hutson being granted an injunction and another year of eligibility? My guess is yes based on past rulings.

[chefbeezy]

Hutson seems like cheap, experienced depth where we would have added no one else otherwise. Also, more competition and leadership in the room too. Seems like an absolute no brainer to take him and round out our two deep. To me this is actually huge, I think it significantly diminishes depth questions that I had at OL.

9 minutes ago, Jeff Howe said:

This is a case of Sarkisian doing what he didn’t do heading into 2025, when he left too many things to chance, resulting in an offensive line that operated with little to no margin for error.

 

Very true. I doubt he makes that mistake ever again and I think the philosophy behind his roster management has changed dramatically following the Michigan game. 

7 minutes ago, Jeff Howe said:

 When it comes to eligibility, I can't say that I 100 percent approve of student-athletes closing in on their mid-20s getting more eligibility, but, as is the case with a lot of things the NCAA has done in the last few years, leaving room for interpretation or being loose with the rules it applies means it has done this to itself.

The NCAA becoming a toothless organization that cannot enforce rules against extreme cases of misconduct is really bad, but this seems to be more concerned about the changing of their eligibility requirements and the transition period they outlined themselves would come along with it. 

[JMarquette]

1 minute ago, GoHorns1 said:

@Jeff Howe% of Cole Hutson being granted an injunction and another year of eligibility? My guess is yes based on past rulings.

100%

[GoHorns1]

2 minutes ago, Triplettjoseph said:

Should he get a yes or no on this within the next 3 weeks? 

Should get answer before training camp starts.

[Jeff Howe]

5 minutes ago, Triplettjoseph said:

Should he get a yes or no on this within the next 3 weeks? 

I would expect that to be the case, yes, but don’t know for sure if it will happen.

[Jeff Howe]

5 minutes ago, GoHorns1 said:

@Jeff Howe% of Cole Hutson being granted an injunction and another year of eligibility? My guess is yes based on past rulings.

95%? I’d say it seems likely.

I don’t think he would’ve filed the suit if he and his representation didn’t feel good about the chances of the injunction being granted.

[LonghornFan4Ever]

Still have some questions about the OL, but assuming Hutson is granted an extra season of eligibility, depth will not be one of those questions.  There’s no way the OL can be worse than last season.  Fingers crossed everyone stays healthy and that unit is good enough to unlock the full potential of this offense.

[Jeff Howe]

25 minutes ago, LonghornFan4Ever said:

Still have some questions about the OL, but assuming Hutson is granted an extra season of eligibility, depth will not be one of those questions.  There’s no way the OL can be worse than last season.  Fingers crossed everyone stays healthy and that unit is good enough to unlock the full potential of this offense.

The concerns are valid, particularly because nobody, not even the coaches, knows whether Seymore will be an option or an answer. Hutson would increase the margin for error, which is a plus.

[No13Seed Jim]

What other NCAA rules should Texas break?

[Jeff Howe]

3 minutes ago, No13Seed Jim said:

What other NCAA rules should Texas break?

Texas isn’t breaking any rules and hasn’t broken any rules. Cole Hutson is trying to see if the legal precedent set by the injunction granted to the basketball players applies to him.

To me, there’s a difference between not liking certain circumstances/conditions and believing something nefarious is happening. If you want to blame anyone, blame the NCAA for dragging their feet for years instead of being proactive. That organization could’ve avoided a lot of the headaches everyone is dealing if leadership had done something other than bury their heads in the sand.

[Beast Texas]

Honestly man until there's a new league with enforceable rules or the government steps in and does something binding - these are the new rules. Everyone else is filing lawsuits anywhere they think they have a chance. They may be unwritten rules but at some point you have to follow the flow of traffic. I don't have any issues.

[Steamboat Willie]

The added depth at center alone would be priceless. 

[cochamps]

I view this as setting a nice floor at LG if his eligiblity is granted.  The year-end OL was: Goosby/Hutson/Robertson/Caampbell/Baker, and I thought they perfored pretty well - at lleast average, maybe a little better than average.  Hutson would give a nice floor which could be exceeded by Seymore or Chatman at LG.  The right side seems like an improvement with Siani at RT and Baker moving inside.  Of course whatever unit is settled on, they will need time to work together.  So I hope that can start soon, not that ong until 9/12.

[HookemChappy]

Very least Cole already knows the Sark playbook and how Flood wants everything done. He will be able to help get Seymour up to speed and we may not have to rush his Fall Camp development.

[charlie990]

It does make me wonder if the 5-to-play-5 rule had come earlier if Burke, Guilbeau, and Shaw would have come back for another year. I think they were all in the same boat of playing 4 years without a redshirt. Looks like the Patriots just cut Shaw too 😞

[Bobby_Batronic]

Has Hutson been doing thing to have his body SEC football ready for the last 7 months? 

[Here for the Wins]

1 minute ago, Bobby_Batronic said:

Has Hutson been doing thing to have his body SEC football ready for the last 7 months? 

He had a workout with the Cowboys post-draft after participating in the Pro Day.  So presumably he was working hard at it until at least May.

[Jarveaux]

59 minutes ago, HookemChappy said:

Very least Cole already knows the Sark playbook and how Flood wants everything done. He will be able to help get Seymour up to speed and we may not have to rush his Fall Camp development.

100 percent agree . If his reinstatement is proper & approved. I personally hope it will be . 

Edited 13 minutes ago by Jarveaux
He loves Arch’s moms gumbo.⭐️