As the controversy over professional players returning to college athletics continues to rage, the Big 12 has released new rules to prevent that practice. Now, many Red Raiders are wondering if these guidelines will impact the eligibility of basketball player Donovan Atwell and new Tech football player Thomas Castellanos.
Wednesday, the conference released a social media post outlining the new rules. While they are clear, there are still some gray areas.
According to the conference's post the rules are as follows:
- Declared for the draft or supplemental draft of a Professional Sports League and did not timely withdraw before the draft;
- Been listed on the roster of a Professional Sports League; or
- Signed a contract with any Professional Sports League to provide athletics services.
No member institution may roster an athlete who has, at any time:
Unfortunately for us all, these rules do not provide clarity on every possible situation. That's why Atwell and Castallanos remain in limbo.
Official statement from the Big 12 Conference. pic.twitter.com/QWiHdvoZ4N
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) August 26, 2026
Will Texas Tech be able to have Atwell or Castallanos on the roster this year?
With both Atwell and Castallanos (who committed to the Red Raiders on Wednesday afternoon), the issue is exactly how strict the Big 12 will be on rule two. That's because both players were technically with professional sports league teams this summer.
In July, Atwell played for the Chicago Bulls in the NBA Summer League. However, he didn't sign a contract with Chicago or any other NBA franchise.
Similarly, Castellanos tried out for the NFL's Tennessee Titans as a wide receiver during the team's mini-camp in April. Like Atwell, he didn't sign a contract with any professional team.
Therefore, neither Atwell nor Castallanos ever signed with a professional team. However, both were technically on a professional roster at one time.
Most believe that these two Red Raiders will not be banned from competing by the conference. However, there is no telling how the rules will be interpreted when it comes to either case. Only time and, likely, the court system will tell.
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