Saints Waive Undrafted Rookie Zxavian Harris, Who Returns to LSU

The New Orleans Saints signed defensive tackle Zxavian Harris as an undrafted rookie on May 1. After participating in the team’s offseason program, the Saints waived Harris on August 8. A Louisiana judge’s ruling subsequently restored Harris’s NCAA eligibility, allowing him to re-join the Louisiana State University (LSU) football roster for the upcoming season.

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Harris was among 16 players whose college eligibility was reinstated after the court decision clarified that their prior professional contracts did not permanently forfeit amateur status. The ruling underscores a growing legal gray area where athletes move between the NFL and college ranks, prompting calls for clearer, uniform eligibility standards.

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Saints head coach Kellen Moore expressed surprise at the situation, noting that he had never imagined a player who had been in Saints training camp would compete in college that same year. He emphasized the need for “a challenging balancing act” to be addressed by stronger leadership and regulation within college football, suggesting that the current lack of consistent rules creates uncertainty for both programs and players.

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• “I think it’s unfortunate that there’s no regulation to anything right now. My brother coaches college football so I follow it closely, just watching everything college football is going through,” — Kellen Moore, saints head coach

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• “I think there’s a challenging balancing act to this, and hopefully there can be some leadership and some regulations developed here shortly,” — Kellen Moore, saints head coach

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