Defensive tackle Zxavian Harris and tight end Dae’Quan Wright have been officially ruled ineligible for the remainder of the 2026 campaign. In a memo distributed to league head coaches and front-office personnel this Wednesday, the NFL Player Personnel Department confirmed that both players are prohibited from visiting, trying out for, or signing with any professional clubs throughout the year.
The league’s decision reinforces a policy established last month, which dictates that any player who returns to the collegiate level after participating in an NFL training camp automatically forfeits their professional eligibility for the season. Both Harris and Wright had spent time in NFL camps over the summer as undrafted free agents before being waived.
Their status became a point of contention after recent court rulings in Louisiana temporarily cleared a path for them to return to the college game. Consequently, both athletes enrolled at Louisiana State University with the intent of competing for head coach Lane Kiffin’s Tigers. Although a state court initially ruled that LSU could legally field both players, the Southeastern Conference subsequently intervened.
The conflict escalated into a significant standoff between the university and the SEC, which had implemented a specific regulation banning former professional players from competing for its member institutions. At one point, the SEC threatened LSU with severe sanctions, including the potential for expulsion from the conference, over the proposed roster additions. Kiffin had initially reserved two spots on the team roster for the duo, though he ultimately left them off for the season-opening victory against Clemson.
To resolve the confrontation with the conference, LSU eventually filled those roster vacancies with other student-athletes, effectively ending the eligibility dispute within the league. While the school avoided disciplinary action, the outcome left Wright and Harris in a precarious position. Having failed to secure an NFL contract and now barred from competing at the collegiate level by the SEC, both players are effectively sidelined for the entirety of the 2026 season. The report also notes that returned to college and participated with their college football team after the opening of NFL training camp, and therefore they are ineligible to visit, tryout wi, harris and Wright were “eligible for the 2026 NFL Draft. The report also notes that both players remain stranded – unable to play at either level in 2026, with the SEC blocking their return to college and the NFL closing its doors for the year. The report also notes that that move set in motion a chaotic sequence of events heading into the season’s second week. The report also notes that however, the fallout now deepens for Wright and Harris, who were under the impression that they would be able to play college ball again this year and improve their standing with NFL teams after failing to catch on this year.
