Cole Hutson is a Longhorn again. Pete Nakos reported that the Texas offensive lineman is officially rejoining the roster after his attorney, David Ovard, hammered out an agreement with the NCAA on his eligibility.
This one has been dragging out for months. Hutson, a four-star recruit out of Frisco in the 2022 class, put together 48 games and 23 starts at guard and center for Texas before running out of eligibility after last season. He tried the NFL route this spring, going undrafted and bouncing through rookie minicamps, before turning back to college ball and filing suit against the NCAA for a fifth year.
The lawsuit wasn't just about Hutson. It centered on the NCAA's new five-for-five eligibility model, which lets players from the 2023 class and beyond compete for five seasons without burning a redshirt. Hutson's camp argued the 2022 class got left out in the cold, and a Colorado federal judge's ruling opened the door for guys in his exact spot to come back for a fifth year.
Ovard's statement made clear this isn't just a legal technicality for the guy in the middle of it. "Cole is thrilled to be playing with his beloved Longhorn teammates," the attorney said on his client's behalf. For an interior lineman who's already started 23 games for Steve Sarkisian, that's a real body back on a line trying to keep Arch Manning upright.
There's still a wrinkle. Hutson's actual eligibility hearing reportedly got pushed back a week, from August 3 to August 10, which puts fall camp practices ahead of the hearing that ultimately decides whether he's cleared to suit up. That leaves Sarkisian in an awkward spot, deciding how many first-team reps to hand a guy whose status could still flip before the season opener.
For now, though, Texas gets to pencil in a proven starter on the offensive line instead of planning around a hole. If the hearing goes his way next week, Hutson slots right back into a Longhorns front that's been through enough O-line eligibility drama this offseason to last a decade.