Ex-NFL training camp players enter NCAA transfer portal in wake of court ruling

College football’s transfer portal typically only opens in the winter, but a handful of notable players — who had already exhausted their eligibility and participated in NFL training camps — surfaced in the portal on Thursday as a result of the latest legal battle in the sport.

Cleveland Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright (formerly of Ole Miss), former New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Zxavian Harris (Ole Miss) and former Seattle Seahawks running back TJ Harden (SMU) are among a growing list of players whose names were entered in the transfer portal on Thursday, a day after a Louisiana judge granted a temporary restraining order for more than 30 athletes to return to college sports. The TRO, which is in effect for 10 days, states that the portal will be open for one week. Under traditional portal guidelines, players wishing to enter must do so within that window, but can exit at any time once in.

So far, nine former college football players who were plaintiffs in the case have entered the portal since Wednesday’s ruling. Wright is the only one of them an active roster, but two others were in training camps earlier this month. Three others participated in NFL rookie minicamps this spring.

Among the players who entered the portal this week who were part of the Louisiana TRO: Wright, Harris, Harden, kicker Luke Drzewiecki, linebacker Jayden Flaker and defensive back Myles Rowser. Drzewiecki, Flaker and Rowser participated in NFL rookie minicamps in the spring but are not currently on NFL rosters.

James Madison linebacker Trent Hendrick, Appalachian State cornerback Ethan Johnson and BYU guard Weylin Lapuaho also entered the portal this week but were not attached to pro teams.

Three others who were involved in the Louisiana case but have not entered the portal remain on NFL training camp rosters: Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Jack Pyburn (formerly of LSU), Arizona Cardinals defensive back Wydett Williams Jr. (Ole Miss) and Seahawks running back Anthony Hankerson (Oregon State). Pyburn, who recorded two sacks in a preseason win over the New York Jets last week, started 11 games for LSU last season, logging 52 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

Will former NFL players play college football this season?

Justin Williams

The case centers on the NCAA’s recently passed age-based eligibility rule, which was enacted in June and gave college athletes in all sports five years of competition over five years, eliminating redshirts. Previous rules allowed four years of competition in five years, but athletes who had competed four years and exhausted their eligibility without using a redshirt were not grandfathered into the NCAA’s new rule, prompting a wave of lawsuits.

Wright is currently on the Browns roster, after being claimed by the team off waivers from Philadelphia on Aug. 11. He was one of the top tight ends in college football last year, catching 39 passes for 635 yards and five touchdowns, ranking in the top four among FBS tight ends in both yards and touchdown receptions.

Harris, who started all 15 games for the Rebels last year, signed with the Saints in May but was waived on Aug. 8. Harden, who led SMU with 787 rushing yards and nine touchdowns last year, joined the Seahawks on Aug. 5 but was released on Monday.

Louisiana’s 19th Judicial District Court granted the TRO on Wednesday. In addition to a fifth season of eligibility in 2026, the order allows the specified athletes — who were in the 2022 high school recruiting class — to enter the transfer portal outside of college football’s specified window, which occurred Jan. 2-16.

The NCAA has rules that prevent athletes from returning to play in college after signing professional contracts. But the judge cleared a path for such players “so long as they terminate any such contract and repay any money they have received prior to playing in a collegiate game,” according to the order.

The NCAA has until Aug. 31 to show cause why a continuing preliminary injunction should not be granted in this case, which would protect the players’ eligibility as the case moves forward. The NCAA would likely appeal the decision if an injunction is granted.

“Courts across the country granting relief to ineligible athletes who already had every opportunity to compete in college — sometimes without even having a hearing — are failing to appreciate the destabilizing effect their rulings are having on college sports,” NCAA senior vice president of external affairs Tim Buckley said in a statement. “The lawyers bringing these cases seemingly won’t be satisfied until every professional athlete can treat college sports as a fallback option, regardless of the opportunities it strips from those who will never have a chance to begin their collegiate sports experience.”