Trent Hendrick's college career was supposed to be over. The James Madison linebacker put together a monster senior season in 2025, then went the NFL route, taking rookie minicamp reps with the Chiefs and the Browns without landing a contract. Instead of that being the end of the story, a Louisiana lawsuit just handed him a do-over.
Hendrick was one of several former college players granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, part of a broader legal fight over fifth-year eligibility for athletes who started their careers in the 2022-23 season. Where a similar Colorado ruling barred players from re-entering the portal, this Louisiana order didn't come with that restriction — so Hendrick, along with names like LSU's Jack Pyburn and SMU's TJ Harden, got both the extra year and a green light to go find a new home.
And teams are already lining up. According to Pete Nakos, three schools are emerging in Hendrick's recruitment as the Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year decides where he'll play out his bonus season.
It's easy to see the appeal. Hendrick anchored a JMU defense in 2025 that helped push the Dukes into the College Football Playoff picture, racking up 106 tackles, 7 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 3 pass breakups as a team captain. That's not a depth-chart flier — that's a proven, three-down linebacker walking into the portal for free, at a position every roster in the country is always short on.
Power 4 programs have already been sniffing around. Reports before this latest update had linked Hendrick to Virginia Tech, Michigan and UCLA, all looking for exactly the kind of veteran, high-IQ linebacker he's shown himself to be at JMU. Whichever three schools Nakos is referring to now, it's a safe bet at least some of that group is still in the mix.
The bigger picture here is bigger than Hendrick himself. This is a preview of how messy roster-building is about to get as more of these lawsuit-driven fifth-year cases work their way through the courts — sudden influxes of proven, ready-now talent hitting the portal outside the normal windows, with programs scrambling to react in real time. Hendrick just happens to be the best of that bunch, which is exactly why three schools are already fighting over him.