Thanks to a federal court ruling last Friday, the Tennessee Vols now have an opportunity to bring back a defensive player who is currently in NFL training camp.

U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney ruled that all high school class of 2022 athletes who exhausted their fourth season of college eligibility this spring are eligible for a fifth season in 2026-27.

According to the Associated Press, the ruling “opens the possibility that an undrafted player in an NFL training camp could try to head back to college for a fifth year.”

Former Vols defensive lineman Jaxson Moi, a three-star recruit in the 2022 class, would be the top candidate to return to Tennessee for a fifth season.

Moi signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent after going unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft. He’s unlikely to make the Rams’ 53-man roster, and it’s too early to tell if he’ll earn a spot on the practice squad (Moi hasn’t generated much buzz this offseason).

VolQuest’s Austin Price said in June that if the “five for five” rule had been passed earlier in the offseason that Moi would’ve returned to Tennessee for another season (the rule was passed in late June).

“If this rule had been passed six months ago, a guy like Jaxson Moi would have come back for another year at defensive tackle,” said Price during an appearance on WNML’s Josh and Swain.

Moi said earlier this summer that he sought a fifth season of eligibility so he could return to Tennessee this fall.

“I can’t even explain how much it meant to me, being a Vol,” said Moi. “I was trying to get a fifth year and come back and play this upcoming season — just because of all the games that I missed, and with the NCAA possibly talking about passing the five for five (rule).

“But being a Vol, it meant everything to me. I get emotional talking about it. Just because sometimes I get in my head. I feel like I wish I would have finished a little bit stronger than I did, but I’m going to be a Vol for the rest of my life. The relationships and the friendships that I made there, they’re going to stick with me forever. And I tell my family that Tennessee is my second home. I can see myself living out in Knoxville again… I’m a Vol for life, no doubt.”

Moi returning to Tennessee in 2026 would obviously depend on a couple of factors. For starters, is it something he still wants to do, or does he want to continue to fight for a roster spot in Rams training camp? Secondly, would Tennessee welcome him back?

The Vols have some question marks along their defensive line due to the talent they lost from last season’s team. Moi would give Tennessee a dependable player who defensive line coach Rodney Garner already knows well, and it would instantly improve the Vols’ depth at the position.