T.J. Harden enters transfer portal after eligibility ruling
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- T.J. Harden was waived by the Seattle Seahawks on Monday and entered the NCAA transfer portal Wednesday after a court ruling extended eligibility to players who had exhausted their previous seasons and signed NFL contracts
- Harden played three seasons at UCLA before transferring to SMU for his senior year, finishing his college career with 495 carries for 2,445 yards and 21 touchdowns
- Harden went undrafted after not receiving a Scouting Combine invite, signed with the Cleveland Browns as a UDFA, was waived Aug. 3, then signed with Seattle and played in one preseason game against the Cowboys (2 carries, 1 yard, one fumble recovery) before being waived again two days later
- Harden was part of a 16-player group that sought a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, arguing that recent rule changes extending the five-year eligibility window should also apply to players who already exhausted four seasons within that span
- A Louisiana court order extended immediate preliminary relief to Harden and others who signed NFL contracts or participated in training camps; as Brad Crawford noted, the TRO is not a final ruling but allows players to pursue another opportunity while the case proceeds
- The piece contrasts this with Maurice Clarett's 2003 case, noting today's players are pursuing the reverse path — NFL back to college — and NIL endorsement deals now make extended college careers financially feasible in ways Clarett's era did not allow
Why it matters: The underlying lawsuit involves 16 players and could extend eligibility to other former NFL signees, with Harden as the most visible test case. Because the court explicitly framed the TRO as preliminary relief rather than a final ruling, Harden's return to college football remains contingent on the broader case's outcome.
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