Texas OL Cole Hutson Ruled Ineligible as NCAA Appeal Continues

Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Cole Hutson is back in eligibility limbo, and this time the issue isn’t simply tied to the SEC’s new restrictions on players returning from the professional ranks.

Head coach Steve Sarkisian said Hutson is currently ineligible while Texas works through an NCAA appeals process.

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Hutson was listed on the roster for the Longhorns’ 59-7 win over Texas State but wasn’t on the depth chart and didn’t play.

That’s a notable development for a veteran lineman who has appeared in 48 career games with 23 starts across three positions.

Hutson’s path back to Texas has already been complicated.

The Austin native completed four college seasons before pursuing an NFL opportunity. He went undrafted in 2026, then participated in rookie minicamps with the Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns.

He never signed an NFL contract and never appeared on a professional roster.

After initially exhausting his college eligibility, Hutson pursued legal action seeking a fifth season.

He ultimately returned to the Texas program in August after securing relief through the courts and reaching an agreement with the NCAA.

But Sarkisian said Monday that Hutson now faces a separate NCAA issue.

“Technically today he is ineligible,” Sarkisian said, explaining that Hutson is working through something different from the broader eligibility ruling affecting other players.

The distinction matters because the SEC recently adopted rules designed to prevent players with certain professional ties from returning to conference competition.

Those restrictions include athletes who declared for a professional draft without properly withdrawing, signed a professional contract or appeared on a professional roster.

Hutson doesn’t cleanly fit any of those categories.

He didn’t declare for the NFL Draft because his college eligibility had already expired. He also wasn’t drafted, didn’t sign as an undrafted free agent and never made an NFL roster.

That leaves Texas dealing first with the NCAA and potentially the SEC afterward.

Sarkisian said the Longhorns will wait for the NCAA process to play out before determining what additional clearance may be required from the conference.

The timing isn’t ideal.

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Texas hosts No. 1 Ohio State on Saturday in one of the biggest games of the early college football season.

Hutson’s experience could provide valuable offensive-line depth, but unless the appeal moves quickly, the Longhorns may have to prepare for another week without him.