A landing spot for players nobody else will touch
The United Football League is positioning itself as the answer for players caught between college eligibility fights and NFL roster limits, and two former Ole Miss players are the latest test case. Tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris have both been cleared to play in the UFL’s 2027 season, which kicks off in April.
Their path there was anything but simple. Both went undrafted this spring. Wright spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns, while Harris turned up with the New Orleans Saints, before each tried to latch on at LSU. A Louisiana court granted them protection to return to college football, but LSU kept both off its roster amid a standoff with the Southeastern Conference over rules covering former professional players. The NFL then blocked them from visiting, working out with, or signing with any club for the rest of the 2026 season, leaving them with nowhere to play.
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The UFL’s pitch: come here instead
UFL co-owner Mike Repole made the league’s positioning explicit. “We’re a pro league, right? We want those college players that can’t make the NFL to come to the United Football League,” he said. It’s a direct pitch to a growing pool of players stuck in the gap between amateur and professional football, where conference rules, court injunctions and NFL roster policy don’t always line up.
This isn’t the league’s first attempt at catching a player in that gap. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who ran into NCAA eligibility trouble tied to gambling violations at Texas Tech, was offered a similar opportunity earlier this year. Sorsby has yet to sign with the UFL, leaving his next step unresolved.
A pipeline worth watching
Wright and Harris won’t suit up until next spring, but their cases underline a pattern developing around the UFL. As college and NFL eligibility rules grow more tangled, especially involving former professionals and transfers, the spring league is positioning itself as the release valve for players the other two levels won’t touch.
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