Two former Ole Miss players are reportedly on their way to LSU.
Tight end Dae’Quan Wright is expected to join the Tigers after being waived by the Cleveland Browns. Defensive lineman Zxavian Harris is reportedly doing the same after being cut by the Saints.
Both were in NFL training camps. Both had their eligibility restored by a recent court ruling. And both are choosing Baton Rouge.
That naturally leads to the question: Why isn’t Ole Miss bringing either one back?
The short answer is no.
BREAKING: Former Saints DL Zxavian Harris has committed to LSU, @Hayesfawcett3 reports🐯
Harris played college ball at Ole Miss. https://t.co/ugW786IOck pic.twitter.com/EZimC7GvPb
— On3 (@On3) August 24, 2026
History: the Browns are waiving tight end Dae’Quan Wright and, if he clears waivers, he has an agreement in place for the 2026 season to play for LSU, per agents Drew Rosenhaus and Kyle Lincoln.
Wright is believed to be the first player who could play for an NFL team, and then… pic.twitter.com/3MLKNFYInY
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 23, 2026
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding didn’t talk about Wright or Harris by name, but he explained the reasoning without needing to.
Ole Miss built a roster it likes. The staff shaped it through spring and summer, invested in it, and feels good about the group heading into the season. That’s the roster they’re sticking with.
Golding called the current landscape “unique times.”
“Every year has been a little different,” he said Monday. “Since COVID, there has been something new that you’ve had to manage and work through. It’s always very fluid. It feels like it changes every day with a different court case and things like that.”
This particular twist dropped in the middle of fall camp. A court ruling suddenly made players eligible again, including guys who had already gone through the NFL Draft process and signed contracts. That’s not a normal situation, and it’s not one Ole Miss planned for.
Golding made it clear that roster decisions still come down to need.
“From the beginning, some of these guys who have become available don’t necessarily fit a need for where we are,” he said.
Ole Miss has spots where injuries have piled up. If a player became available who fit one of those positions, the Rebels would look at it. But tight end and defensive line aren’t those spots right now. The Rebels like the players they have. They like the guys who stayed, who went through spring ball, who learned the system and earned their roles.
“Like I said, from an injury standpoint, there are some spots where we’ve gotten banged up. If this is what we’re going to do and what everybody is doing within the framework of college football, there are certain spots we would have interest in,” Golding said. “Then there are other spots where we have really good players who have gone through the spring, gone through the summer and done everything the right way, and there isn’t a need there,” Golding said. “
That’s the part that matters. Bringing back Wright or Harris would mean reshuffling a depth chart two weeks before the opener. It would mean taking snaps away from players who have been in the building all year. It would mean changing the plan at positions where Ole Miss already feels solid.
LSU, meanwhile, is operating from a different place. The Tigers need help at tight end behind Trey’Dez Green. They have room on the defensive line. And they have a head coach who has never been shy about adding talent whenever it becomes available.
If LSU can navigate the SEC’s intraconference transfer rule, it’ll add Wright and Harris and keep moving.
Ole Miss doesn’t have that same incentive.
“Our numbers are where they’re supposed to be,” Golding said. “We have really good players that we recruited, invested in and who have bought into what we’re asking them to do.”
If a major injury had hit a key starter, maybe this conversation looks different. Maybe Wright or Harris becomes a real option. But that’s not the reality. The Rebels aren’t scrambling. They aren’t patching holes. They’re sticking with the roster they built.
LSU is adding former NFL camp players. Ole Miss is staying put.
Different teams. Different needs. Different decisions.
And for the Rebels, the decision makes sense.
