Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Aug 20, 2026 9:35 PM
After a legal ruling granted unexpected eligibility, T.J. Harden is trading his Seahawks uniform for the transfer portal to secure a final season of collegiate dominance.
T.J. Harden's college football career appeared to be over when he left SMU for the NFL this spring.
Four months later ... he's back in the transfer portal.
The former Mustangs running back has entered the NCAA transfer portal following a court ruling that opened the door for him to pursue another college season, On3 reported.
Yes ... that means Harden could go from playing for the Seattle Seahawks in the preseason to playing college football again in the span of a few weeks.
Welcome to modern collegiate athletics.
It's the latest turn in what has already been an unusual few months for SMU's leading rusher from last season.
Harden transferred to SMU after spending his first three college seasons at UCLA and immediately became the Mustangs' most productive running back.
He appeared in all 13 games in 2025, making six starts and rushing 171 times for a team-high 787 yards and nine touchdowns. Harden also caught 19 passes for 99 yards and another score, giving him a team-high 10 total touchdowns.
His biggest moment came against No. 10 Miami.
Harden scored the game-winning touchdown on a one-yard run in overtime as SMU pulled off a 26-20 upset on Nov. 1.
That ultimately became his final season with the Mustangs ... or at least that's what everyone reasonably assumed.
Harden entered the 2026 NFL Draft and went undrafted before signing with the Cleveland Browns as a UDFA.
Cleveland waived him on Aug. 3, and Seattle signed him two days later.
Harden even appeared in the Seahawks' preseason matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, carrying the ball twice for one yard and recovering a fumble.
Seattle waived him on Aug. 17.
Normally, that would leave Harden searching for another NFL opportunity.
Instead, he's now looking back toward college football.
Harden was part of a group of 16 players who sought a temporary restraining order against the NCAA as part of a legal challenge involving the organization's eligibility rules, CBS Sports reported.
A Louisiana judge granted the group temporary relief Wednesday as the players seek a fifth year of college eligibility.
The temporary restraining order isn't a final ruling in the lawsuit, and Harden entering the portal doesn't guarantee where — or whether — he'll play college football this fall.
But for a player who had already moved on to the NFL, another college season is now back on the table.
Harden left SMU this spring with his college career seemingly finished and spent the summer trying to earn an NFL roster spot.
Now, after stops with the Browns and Seahawks, the Mustangs' leading rusher from 2025 is back in the transfer portal.
College football has changed plenty over the past few years.
Harden going from SMU to the NFL ... and potentially back to college in a matter of months ... might be one of the strangest examples yet.
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