The biggest college football stars who could return after the NCAA's latest ruling

Some college football stars who thought their college careers were over may have one more season after all. Players who were considered freshmen in 2022 who exhausted their fourth season of college eligibility this spring were granted a fifth year of college football eligibility thanks to a federal judge's ruling in Colorado on Friday.

The injunction does not apply to the transfer portal, so anyone who left the game for the NFL and is considering returning must see if the school they played for in 2025 will bring them back.

That will cause a decent amount of chaos for the players who have already expressed an interest in returning to college football and the programs that went through an entire offseason with their replacements. But it also raises an intriguing question: Which stars could actually make a return?

QB Tommy Castellanos, Florida State

The former Boston College passer transferred to Tallahassee for the 2025 campaign after a breakout season in 2023 put him on the college football map. That's all it would be, as he failed to recapture his magic and put up a disappointing 2,760 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He was hoping his additional 557 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns would earn him a valuable dual-threat label heading into April's draft. He was not selected and is now mulling a return to college football.

Castellanos told On3's Pete Nakos he'd be open to play as a quarterback or "athlete," considering the potential limitations this late in the cycle. Given the narrow application of the Colorado judge's ruling — Castellanos did not enter the transfer portal in January before declaring for the draft — his only option for 2026 is Florida State. The Seminoles already reloaded at the position, bringing in Auburn's Ashton Daniels among others in the portal. However, Castellanos worked out for NFL teams as a wide receiver so there's a possibility his versatile talents could still be useful elsewhere.

DL Stephen Daley, Indiana

Daley was a key piece of Indiana's defense last year with 19 TFLs and 5.5 sacks, but he was forced to watch their College Football Playoff run from the sidelines due to a knee injury — one that played a large part in scaring NFL teams away this spring.

Now, though, he's attempting to return to Bloomington for one more year to rebuild his draft stock. Per ESPN's Pete Thamel, Daley has already been cleared by school officials and is considered eligible, meaning an already-loaded Indiana squad just got even better.

WR Jonathan Brady, Indiana

The national champion wideout was given a chance with the Las Vegas Raiders this summer before being cut ahead of training camp. Brady is now exploring a return to college football and may have to give his old coach, Curt Cignetti, a call to see if there's room for him in Bloomington. In 2025, he hauled in a modest 14 catches for 115 yards and three touchdowns. Those scores came in blowout victories over Indiana State and Maryland but it's proof he can be efficient with his receptions.

Cignetti and Indiana brought in two transfer receivers after losing its pair of top pass catchers —Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt — to April's draft. Nick Marsh, who came from Michigan State, will be the headliner, but there could very well be room for Brady to reclaim a depth position or even a special teams role. One of his 2025 scores was a 91-yard punt return against the Sycamores.

LB Trent Hendrick, James Madison

It's unclear if Hendrick had entered his name into the transfer portal before deciding to enter the NFL Draft — unlikely if he considered his eligibility exhausted — but he's been reportedly contacted by the Michigan Wolverines as he ponders a return to college ball. With James Madison in 2025, Hendrick recorded 106 tackles and seven tackles for a loss as the Dukes appeared in their first College Football Playoff. He earned Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year, so its no wonder top programs may be doing their homework on him.

According to On3's Ethan McDowell, conversations with Michigan are "not advanced far." That's likely because there are still some hurdles to be cleared by the Colorado judge's ruling. If Hendrick was not in the transfer portal this past January, he'd be ineligible to consider Michigan, and if the ruling is overturned upon appeal, everyone is out of luck. Given his credentials, it would be shocking if James Madison didn't welcome back its best defensive playmaker from the previous campaign with open arms.

K Jayden Fielding, Ohio State

The former Buckeye starter will not be returning to Columbus. He was an All-Big Ten selection, mostly for his perfect extra point accuracy (73-for73) in 2024, but Ohio State moved on to Baylor's Connor Hawkins because Fielding just couldn't stay consistent enough for field goals (78.9 percent career clip). Unless he accepts a backup role to Hawkins and hopes to get a redemption arc, his future is not in scarlet and white.

It's a shame because Fielding was a solid kicker despite tragic misses in clutch opportunities against Michigan (twice in 2024's loss), Indiana (in the Big Ten championship) and Miami (in the CFP quarterfinal). Assuming his name wasn't in the transfer portal in January, his college career will probably not continue unless he can convince head coach Ryan Day his services would be useful in 2026.

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