NFL memo bars Harris and Wright from 2026 season following LSU eligibility dispute
The league has ruled that two former Mississippi players are ineligible for all clubs after their brief return to the Southeastern Conference, highlighting the complexities of modern athlete mobility.
The National Football League has issued a directive to all 32 teams declaring undrafted free agents Zxavian Harris and Dae’Quan Wright ineligible to join any club for the 2026 season. The decision, outlined in a memo dated Wednesday and obtained by the Associated Press, stems from the players’ attempts to return to college football at LSU after being released by their respective NFL teams earlier in the summer.
Harris, a defensive tackle, and Wright, a tight end, both played for Mississippi during its run to a College Football Playoff semifinal last season. After going undrafted, the pair signed with NFL clubs in April 2025. Wright joined the Philadelphia Eagles before being waived in August, with a brief stint with the Cleveland Browns, while Harris signed with the New Orleans Saints before being placed on the non-football injury list in July and subsequently waived.
The eligibility dispute escalated when the players sought to regain college status following a Louisiana court order that granted a temporary restraining order to 33 athletes, allowing them to pursue a fifth year of eligibility. However, the Southeastern Conference passed a rule barring professionals from returning to college, a restriction that was temporarily halted by a court order. To avoid potential conference punishment, LSU, under head coach Lane Kiffin, removed both players from its roster as the season opened.
The NFL’s rationale for the ineligibility ruling is that both players were eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft, returned to college, and participated with their college football team after the opening of NFL training camp. Consequently, the memo states they are ineligible to visit, try out with, or be signed by NFL clubs during the 2026 season.
The league’s communication clarified that the list does not include all draft-eligible players who returned to college, placing the onus on individual teams to verify player eligibility. The memo advises teams to contact the league’s player personnel department with any questions, noting that discipline for eligibility violations can include fines and/or the loss of draft picks.
