The two former pro players who received clearance to sign with LSU but then werenâÂÂt actually used by LSU remain SOL as it relates to the NFL.
Via Tom Pelissero of Netflix, the league sent a memo to all teams on Wednesday explaining that tight end DaeâÂÂQuan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris remain ineligible to visit with, tryout for, or be signed by any NFL team during the 2026 season.
ItâÂÂs a bizarre outcome, given that they ultimately didnâÂÂt play college football after being released from what essentially were tryout contracts with NFL teams.
Ultimately, theyâÂÂve become pawns in the broader political fight over the effort to get a federal antitrust exemption for big-time college sports. The talking point that âÂÂpro athletes are returning to college!â has become a useful talking point in support of the Screw College Players Act, otherwise known as the Protect College Sports Act.
The argument remains grossly misleading. Wright and Harris attempted to win spots on NFL rosters. They failed. The courts decided that the NCAAâÂÂs decision to give players five years of eligibility should apply retroactively, allowing them to have the same extra year that players will get moving forward.
The resulting dynamic was and is a one-year aberration. And the characterization of the situation as NFL players invading college sports ignores the simple fact that college players are now professional athletes â and that Wright and Harris ultimately made a business decision to play for a college team that was willing to pay them more than what they expected to earn playing in the NFL.
The leagueâÂÂs position ultimately isnâÂÂt surprising. College football continues to be the NFLâÂÂs free farm system, which gives the NFL a very good reason to adopt policies and practices that mesh with the interests of the NCAA.