The LSU debacle is over, as they have filled their roster to capacity. That means we can finally stop talking about the idea of former NFL players returning to LSU. While many New Orleans Saints fans are LSU fans as well, this has a more direct impact on former Saints defensive tackle Zxavian Harris.
Harris was one of the class of 2022 athletes that attempted to return to college for a fifth year of eligibility, and he was attempting to come back to play for the Tigers. We’ve spent weeks wondering what was going to happen with these players. Now that LSU is unable to add more players to the roster, the messiest story in football is finally over.
From a pure love of the game standpoint, this feels like the right decision to maintain the distinction between professional and collegiate ball. Correct or not, the next question is what happens to these players who were attempting to return?
Zxavian Harris just put himself in a near impossible predicament
Harris may be in the toughest situation because he has no film in the NFL and he was an undrafted free agent. His stock already wasn’t the highest, and he’s had no opportunity to improve it. He spent the entire offseason on the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list.
It was actually Harris argument for why he should be able to return to college. With that off the table, however, spending the entire offseason on the NFI list could hurt his professional stock.
The defensive tackle was a prime candidate for a practice squad spot in New Orleans. He’s a talented player, and off the field concerns contributed to him not being drafted. Once the Saints took the initial chance on Harris, he was worth watching development.
There’s no clue how many other teams would have took that chance. Now that he’s attempted to return to college instead of staying in the league, there’s a chance that teams have soured on him even more.
While trying to go back to college to build stock is understandable for the player, that won’t stop teams from looking at it differently. Kellen Moore certainly seemed flustered by the idea of professional players trying to go back to the league.
Practice squads are full, and Harris has done nothing to show why he should take another player’s spot. Unfortunately, this whole situation could result in Harris simply sitting out for a season and hoping for another shot in 2027
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