ACC, other power conferences are dropping hammer on banning pros from returning to college

The Atlantic Coast Conference, of which Syracuse is a member, and other power leagues in football and men's/women's basketball aren't messing around when it comes to professional athletes attempting to return to college.

On Thursday, the ACC said that its board of directors had unanimously adopted a resolution directing the league's commissioner, Jim Phillips, to enforce certain eligibility requirements related to athletes attempting to come back to college "after intentionally pursuing a professional career," according to a statement.

The phrase "after intentionally pursuing a professional career" is critical here. Amid all the eligibility chaos in college sports these days, with a lot of it centered on 2022 athletes trying to gain a fifth season of eligibility, there has also been a recent trend of some professional players in U.S.-based sports leagues wanting to return to the collegiate level, where they can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars, or even millions of dollars, in rev-share and third-party name, image and likeness ("NIL") deals.

Some observers note that a key difference between international pros or semi-pros committing to college programs, including two players on Syracuse basketball's 2026-27 roster, and professional athletes in the NFL, the NBA or the WNBA, is that the latter group includes players who went to college, then moved on to the pros, and now want to return to college because it didn't work out, at least not yet, for them at the professional level.

For international pros or semi-pros, however, they haven't necessarily had a chance to play for a U.S. college or university. That's an important distinction.

The ACC's announcement on Thursday comes as other power conferences, including the Big 12, the Big Ten and the SEC, have unveiled similar measures aimed at banning pros from returning to college.

What is in the ACC's resolution announced on Thursday?

Per the ACC's resolution, league schools are not permitted to include individuals on their football or men's/women's basketball rosters if those individuals have:

•Previously declared for an NFL, an NBA or a WNBA Draft, and did not withdraw consistent with NCAA requirements to remain eligible in college.

•Signed a contract with the NFL (or other professional football league), the NBA/G-League or the WNBA (or affiliate), or any team that is a member of any such league. For the NBA Summer League, a contract means an Exhibit 10, a two-way contract or "any agreement providing for compensation beyond expenses and a per diem."

•Been listed on any roster for an NFL (or other professional football league), an NBA/G-League or a WNBA (or affiliate) team.

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