Well folks, it’s happened again: Just weeks after Baylor got former NBA Draft pick James Nnaji eligible to play college basketball, another program is trying to bring a pro back to school.

In this case, it’s Alabama and their former starting center Charles Bediako.

Bediako played two seasons at Alabama from 2021 to 2023, but following that 2023 campaign decided to go pro. He went undrafted, and has since played three seasons of forgettable professional basketball - including a G-League game last weekend.

Now though, he wants to come back to school. Here’s his timeline.

The NCAA denied his request, but on Jan. 21, a judge granted Bediako a temporary restraining order allowing immediate eligibility while his lawsuit proceeds.

The decision has drawn criticism, including from UConn’s Dan Hurley and AD David Benedict.

Despite the public pushback, Bediako is expected to play this weekend for the Tide when they face Tennessee.

If he does play, it opens up a whole new can of worms and throws the entire spring NBA Draft process into a frenzy. If a player can declare, sign with a team and… still return to school, there is essentially no NBA Draft deadline.

So, where will Bediako’s story go from here? It remains to be seen.

Cody Campbell is one of the most vocal leaders in college football when it comes to NIL. He has played a key role in Texas Tech’s recent success in Lubbock. Reflecting on Indiana’s recent national championship, Campbell said he expects a shift in perceptions of which programs are considered the most powerful.

“The identity of the blue bloods are changing,” Campbell said via Will Cain Country. “So, certain schools that have historically been really good or had a great brand or won national championships in the past won’t anymore. It will be the schools that have the financial resources that will. You’ll start to see Indiana start to show up every year and people will say ‘I’m kind of tired of Indiana’ after a while. You’re just trading one group of one blue bloods for another.”

“You can look at the transfer portal rankings right now,” Campbell said. “Schools like Alabama and Auburn are struggling. They don’t have the booster support. Nothing against Alabama, I have a ton of respect for that program. But they can’t raise the money like the University of Texas can… They don’t have as much money in the institution itself, they don’t have the donor support.”

Campbell is essentially arguing that:

In short, Campbell suggests that money and resources are beginning to outweigh history in determining which programs are the most powerful in college football … and honestly, he might be right.

Link to full On3 Article

Mensah played at Tulane last season and Duke this season. The lawsuit followed his attempt to enter the NCAA transfer portal on Jan. 16 — the final day of the winter transfer window—after notifying coach Manny Diaz, emailing Duke’s compliance office, and posting a farewell on X. Duke alleges Mensah breached several contract provisions, causing “irreparable harm,” including the inability to recruit a replacement quarterback after backup Henry Belin IV transferred to Missouri State on Jan. 15.

Pete Nakos then put out this tweet late Wednesday night. However, a reminder: Because of the ongoing lawsuit filed by Duke, a judge issued a temporary restraining order preventing him from enrolling at or playing for another school until at least Feb. 2, 2026, when an injunction hearing is scheduled.

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