As legal battles dismantle eligibility rules, Rhett Lashlee warns that inconsistent court rulings are paralyzing the sport and demands federal intervention to restore competitive stability.
College football has spent much of the offseason trying to figure out what its eligibility rules will look like moving forward.
Rhett Lashlee has a bigger concern.
Who actually gets to decide them?
The SMU head coach didn't hold back when discussing the wave of eligibility lawsuits that have created different circumstances for players across the country just days before the 2026 season begins.
"The court system is running our game right now," Lashlee said during an appearance on ESPN Radio's "Amber & Ian." "And, there's no consistency and continuity."
The past few weeks have given Lashlee plenty to point toward.
On July 31, a federal judge in Colorado issued a class-wide preliminary injunction that opened the door for athletes from the high school Class of 2022 who had exhausted four seasons of eligibility to compete for another year.
Then things changed again.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit granted the NCAA's request for a stay Friday, pausing that injunction while the appeal continues.
That means athletes relying on the Colorado injunction no longer have its protection for the time being.
But other athletes have received relief through separate lawsuits.
A Louisiana judge granted a temporary restraining order Wednesday to 33 athletes across multiple sports who are challenging the NCAA's eligibility rules. Sixteen football players were among the plaintiffs.
Some had already signed contracts with NFL teams this offseason.
The NCAA also opened a seven-day transfer portal window for the athletes covered by the Louisiana order.
So yes ... Lashlee sees a problem.
"You can't have a deal where it depends on which court case or which state you sue in and what judge you get determines the rules," Lashlee said.
And his concern isn't necessarily about whether those players should receive another season.
It's about having one set of rules.
"Regardless of [which] side of that you fall on, it's not ever good when there's no rules, no consistency and we don't all know how to both for the players, what they're allowed to do and what they can expect," Lashlee said.
For coaches trying to build rosters, the uncertainty has created circumstances that would have been difficult to imagine even a few months ago.
Lashlee pointed directly toward the possibility of players returning from NFL rosters while explaining his frustration.
"We've got to have it because you go from here's the rules to then two weeks ago, well, guys could maybe get a fifth year from '22, but only back to their school and can't transfer to now, oh wait, you can come off an NFL roster and come back and go wherever you want two weeks before the season starts," Lashlee said.
And Lashlee believes the larger solution has to come from Washington.
"I think this is more evidence why, when they come back from the break – regardless of what you think – Congress has to pass this bill," Lashlee said. "We have a game right now that has no rules and no leadership. And the leadership that is there can't be sustained."
For Lashlee, the issue goes beyond any one player, lawsuit or eligibility decision.
College football needs a system that doesn't change depending on where an athlete files a lawsuit or which judge hears the case.
"I think anybody rational would tell you, that's not a sustainable model," Lashlee said. "So that's really what I care about, more than just one little instance. I'm not worried about the symptoms. I'm worried about the problem."
And with eligibility lawsuits still playing out across the country, Lashlee's problem isn't going away just yet.
