DALLAS — A judge in Dallas granted a temporary restraining order Thursday restoring eligibility to about two dozen athletes, and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Jordan Hudson was among them, On3‘s Pete Nakos reported. The order allows Hudson to play a fifth college season and to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
The NCAA, the Southeastern Conference, and SEC commissioner Greg Sankey are named as defendants. On3’s Thomas Goldkamp reported the order also covers Riley Kugel, who has played at Florida, Mississippi State, and UCF, and former Georgia safety JaCorey Thomas.
Hudson signed a three-year deal with Dallas as an undrafted free agent after the 2026 draft. He is on the 90-man roster going into Friday’s preseason finale. Teams must reach 53 players by 5 p.m. CT Sunday, Aug. 30. Waiver claims clear at noon CT Monday, Aug. 31.
Jordan Hudson’s Path Out Of The Preseason
A Louisiana ruling last week made 16 class of 2022 players eligible to return even after reaching the NFL. That order requires players to break their NFL contracts or be cut before Sept. 1 to gain NCAA eligibility. Terms of the Dallas order have not been reported.
Former SMU running back TJ Harden carried the ball once for the Seattle Seahawks against the Cowboys on Aug. 15, was waived, and entered the transfer portal days later, according to the Dallas Morning News. Former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright was cut by the Cleveland Browns on Aug. 24 and plans to sign with LSU.
Cowboys wide receiver Camden Brown also graduated high school in the class of 2022 and could pursue the same path, the Dallas Morning News reported. Brown caught two touchdown passes in the preseason opener at Seattle.
Hudson played his freshman season at TCU in 2022 and finished with 14 receptions for 174 yards and three touchdowns. He transferred to SMU in 2023 and caught 30 passes for 425 yards and seven touchdowns. He followed with 39 receptions for 422 yards and five touchdowns in 2024, and 61 receptions for 766 yards and six touchdowns in 2025. He started nine of 11 games last season and was named third-team All-ACC.
Conference Rules On Returning Professionals
SEC presidents and chancellors voted 16-0 to bar former professional players from returning to conference schools, and voted 15-0 to approve penalties with LSU abstaining, sources told ESPN‘s Pete Thamel. Sankey was given authority to impose additional sanctions.
Sankey told SEC schools this month that recent court rulings do not create eligibility relief beyond the scope of the orders that granted it.
He wrote that league eligibility rules, including those governing intraconference transfers, “remain in effect until fully or individually waived,” according to the Associated Press.
The ACC passed its own rule Thursday prohibiting former professional athletes from returning, On3’s Steve Samra reported.
Last week the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals granted the NCAA a stay on the Colorado injunction that had extended a fifth season to the entire class of 2022. Athletes covered by state court orders remain eligible.
Kickoff against the New Orleans Saints is set for 7 p.m. CT Friday at AT&T Stadium on CBS. Dallas is 2-0 in the preseason after a 17-7 win at Seattle on Aug. 15 and a 34-13 win at Arizona on Aug. 22.
