Litteraly over the weekend, we noted how former Gator, turned LSU Tiger, Jack Pyburn had a strong NFL preseason debut with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Pyburn had two sacks last Friday against the New York Jets and became the “breakout” candidate of Bucs training camp.
But in classic Jack Pyburn fashion, he's found a way to make headlines behind the scenes and off the field, as he is now the focus of a wild court order that could send him back to college football in 2026.
Former Gators Jack Pyburn could be returning to college football
It was reported by multiple sources on Wednesday that Pyburn, along with 15 other players, was granted a temporary restraining order from a Louisiana judge that could clear a path for Pyburn to play in college in 2026.
Did we mention he is a current member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
Pyburn and others argue that the new “five-for-five” rule, which allows players to play five full seasons and essentially gets rid of the redshirt, is the issue. The original rule the NCAA put out applied only to players moving forward and didn’t apply to players who had just graduated.
U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney in Colorado issued a ruling a few weeks ago that granted a preliminary injunction for athletes from the high school class of 2022, helping clear a pathway for players to return who were not previously covered by the new NCAA rule.
Part of Pyburn’s specific argument is that his 2023 season with Florida was shortened due to a torn ACL against Arkansas, though he still played in nine games that season.
Ah ****, here we go again
Again, did we mention he is a current member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
The massive difference between the argument Pyburn and a lot of the others in the ruling are making, compared to someone like Xaivian Lee, who is also trying to get a 5th season of college basketball, is that Pyburn has been a full-fledged member of the Bucs since May. In contrast, Lee signed a contract that essentially earmarked him for the G League. Pyburn is going through, as we speak, the normal rigors of an NFL training camp.
Will he make the 53-man roster? Hard to say, but if he has another solid outing in preseason, he could be a practice squad candidate and be one injury away from the main roster.
As we have said throughout, when Pyburn comes up, he's better than his stats give him credit for. During his time with Florida, he was an asset in the run game and attacked pulling tackles and guards with a level of intensity that very few do.
But when he left Florida in the transfer portal, it was far from a normal departure. Reports of financial and playing-time demands dampened what otherwise could have been an amicable transfer. Given how much of a train wreck Florida was in 2025, one can’t blame the result of his transfer, but the optics of it are something he won’t recover from in the eyes of Florida fans.
So this attempt to get back to college adds to that lore.
Not all lore is good lore, though.
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