Earlier this month, the NFL sent a memo out to sports agents detailing the eligibility rules for the 2025 NFL Draft, provided on X by Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The memo included reminders of usual eligibility rules and provided an update to deadlines with the NCAA’s first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff in mind.
With the extended playoff drawing the college football season out a few more weeks than in the past, it makes sense for the NFL to make some alterations to the deadlines for underclassmen to declare that they are forgoing their remaining college eligibility. There are now three deadlines for players to declare for the draft.
The first deadline follows the conclusion of the playoff’s quarterfinals, which finish on New Year’s Day. This early “soft” deadline (Monday, January 6) allows any players whose seasons have ended early an opportunity to make their declaration without waiting. The traditional “hard” deadline follows the playoff’s semifinal games, which conclude on January 10. The “hard” deadline (Wednesday, January 15) will be required for any prospects who are not participating in the FBS Championship Game.
The new, special “Championship” deadline is obviously for the players on the two teams competing in the NCAA’s season finale on January 20. The deadline for players in that final game is Friday, January 24. Players who submit their applications for any of the three deadlines will have 72 hours to revoke their submissions, and the deadline to “opt-out” of the 2025 NFL Draft is Friday, February 7.
For those unaware, the usual eligibility rules that apply require players to be three years removed from high school in order to declare. So, college athletes that entered collegiate athletics in 2020 or before are automatically eligible to declare, as are athletes who entered in 2021 and did not utilize a redshirt year. This classification includes all seniors, redshirt seniors, graduate transfers, and sixth-year seniors — not to mention some of the rare cases of athletes in their seventh or eighth years of college football.
Players who entered in 2021 and utilized a redshirt season and players who entered collegiate football in 2022 must declare for special eligibility. This classification includes anyone who has yet to reach senior status — redshirt juniors, true juniors, and redshirt sophomores. Any players who entered college football in 2023 or 2024, assuming they enrolled immediately following high school graduation, will not be eligible to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft.
All of these qualifying players also have the option to opt-out of the draft and return to collegiate athletics if they have any eligibility remaining. The class of 2020 is the final class to receive the sixth year of eligibility granted to athletes in college during the COVID-19-affected 2020 season. Any players who entered college after 2020 will be subject to the regular eligibility rules that limit players to four playing seasons (any season in which a player appears in five or more games) and one redshirt season (any season in which a player appears in four or fewer games). Some players can be granted additional years of eligibility for injury or hardship reasons, but most athletes are restricted to four or five years of college.
The NCAA has nothing at all to do with the College Football Playoff.
It actually does. NCAA has many responsibilities concerning college football especially college football playoffs.
Eligibility and competition rules
Investigations into alleged cheating
Drug policies
NIL rules requirements compensation structure etc.
NCAA doesn’t organize or award an official champion but they do still enforce their rules on the games and if their rules are broken they do strip sanction dish out punishment to the schools and programs.