TJ Harden's summer has been a whirlwind. He went undrafted out of SMU, latched on with the Cleveland Browns as a free agent, got waived by Cleveland in early August, then caught on with the Seattle Seahawks just 3 days later. That stint didn't last either — Seattle cut him this week after he saw preseason action against the Dallas Cowboys.
Now he's headed back to college football, and apparently he isn't going to have to look hard for a new home. According to On3's Pete Nakos, multiple SEC and Big 12 schools are already in the mix for Harden as he re-enters the transfer portal.
The path back to college eligibility is almost as wild as the last few weeks in the NFL. Harden's return was made possible by a Louisiana court ruling that granted a temporary restraining order to a group of college athletes — 33 total, 16 of them football players — clearing the way for guys who'd exhausted their eligibility to suit up again. Harden was one of the names on that list.
It's not hard to see why programs are circling. Harden spent his first 3 seasons at UCLA before transferring to SMU for the 2025 season, and he ran for well over 2,000 yards combined across that stretch, leading the Mustangs in rushing last year. That's a proven, experienced back who's already shown he can be a workhorse in two Power conferences — and he's walking into a transfer market as a known commodity instead of a projection.
For a guy who just got cut twice in a matter of weeks by NFL teams, this is about as good a landing spot as it gets. Harden gets another shot to build his stock behind a real workload, and whichever school lands him gets a proven producer without burning a normal recruiting cycle on him. Worth watching where he lands — and how quickly.