Zxavian Harris and Dae’Quan Wright are officially out of the 2026 NFL season. The league sent a memo to every single team, making it crystal clear that these two won’t be visiting, trying out with, or signing with any NFL club this year after their attempt to return to college football and play for LSU. It’s a tough break, and the NFL is not messing around.
The Unprecedented Play That Backfired
Harris, a beast at defensive tackle, and Wright, a solid tight end, both came out of Mississippi after their squad made a run to the College Football Playoff semifinal last season. These guys are legit, so it’s no surprise they both got NFL tryouts this summer, even after going undrafted. Wright actually landed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent back in April. That didn’t stick, though, and he was cut in August, then had a brief stint with the Cleveland Browns. Harris signed with the New Orleans Saints, got placed on the non-football injury list in July, and was waived in August. So, you’ve got two guys who had a taste of the pros, but it didn’t quite pan out. What’s next? For them, it was a wild swing back to college.
LSU, The SEC, and The Hammer From The NFL
After their initial NFL opportunities faded, Harris and Wright tried to link back up with their former Ole Miss coach, Lane Kiffin, at LSU. They even went as far as suing to regain their college eligibility! This whole situation was already a legal maze, with a Louisiana judge granting 33 athletes a temporary restraining order to seek a fifth year of eligibility; 16 of them were football players. The Southeastern Conference then stepped in with a rule specifically barring pros from going back to college ball, but a Louisiana court temporarily put that restriction on hold. Talk about back and forth! In the end, LSU made the call to leave both Harris and Wright off their roster when the season opened, complying with the ban. The SEC had even threatened to vote on kicking LSU out of the conference, but since the Tigers fell in line, no punishments were handed down.
The NFL’s memo, dated just this Wednesday, laid down the law. It specifically noted Harris and Wright “were eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft, returned to college and participated with their college football team after the opening of NFL training camp, and therefore, they are ineligible to visit, try out with or be signed by NFL clubs during the 2026 season.” That’s the key right there: playing college ball *after* NFL training camps started. The league also warned all teams that it’s *their* responsibility to verify player eligibility, and violating these rules could mean fines or even losing draft picks. This whole saga is a stark reminder of how thin the line is between college dreams and NFL reality.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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