Former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright is taking advantage of a court ruling that has reopened the college path for a small group of athletes, and that has now put him in the transfer portal.
According to a report from On3 on Aug. 20, Wright entered the portal after becoming eligible to return to college football on Aug.
- He is currently in NFL training camp with the Cleveland Browns, but the ruling gives him a chance to pivot back to the college game.
The legal decision, obtained by the Clarion Ledger, came from a Louisiana judge who issued a temporary injunction against the NCAA for 30 athletes. It granted players who were freshmen in the 2022-23 academic season an extra year of eligibility. The order also created a seven-day transfer window for those affected.
Wright was one of the players included in the lawsuit, along with former Ole Miss defensive tackle Zxavian Harris, former Ole Miss safety Wydett Williams and Ole Miss softball pitcher Emilee Boyer.
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding addressed the roster situation on Aug. 6 and made it clear he wasn’t looking to bring in new players unless something changes outside the program. He said the Rebels didn’t need to crowd the roster and didn’t want to push anyone off it.
"Our numbers are what they are right now," Golding said. "We're where we need to be. But, definitely, there's been conversations if something were to occur, if we need to go that direction."
Wright’s 2025 season made him a major piece in Ole Miss’ passing game. He was the No. 1 tight end for quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and finished with 39 catches for 635 yards and five touchdowns.
His football path has already included a trip through the professional ranks. Wright went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, first signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent, was cut, and then joined the Cleveland Browns.
Harris is also heading to the portal, according to On3. He spent four seasons at Ole Miss, started 15 games in 2025 and posted 58 tackles and three sacks.
Like Wright, he went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, signed with the New Orleans Saints as a free agent and was cut on Aug. 8.
In Other News...
Former Ole Miss TE Suddenly Sits At Center Of A Wild Eligibility Twist
Dae'Quan Wright has landed in a strange new spot for a player already in the NFL, with the Cleveland Browns rookie tight end entering the NCAA transfer portal and becoming the first active pro to do it. For Ole Miss fans, it is the kind of headline that instantly pulls an old name back into the conversation, because the former Rebels tight end is now tied to a legal and procedural shift that could open an unusual path back to college football.
A temporary restraining order from a Louisiana judge has put the NCAAs five-year eligibility clock under new pressure, creating a window for players with professional experience to potentially return to college. Wright is not alone in feeling out the edges of that ruling, as several other former NFL players are expected to explore the portal or pursue eligibility challenges, turning what once looked like a closed chapter into one of the sports most unexpected offseason storylines. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Suddenly Has A High Stakes Eligibility Fight To Watch
A new eligibility dispute has put three former Ole Miss players back in the spotlight, even as they are trying to move on to the next level. DaeQuan Wright, Wydett Williams Jr. and Zxavian Harris were part of a lawsuit against the NCAA that grew out of a federal court injunction for athletes in the 2022 recruiting class, a case tied to the leagues five-for-five plan and the push for a little more flexibility on college eligibility.
For Ole Miss, the practical stakes are easy to see. Wright and Williams are already in NFL training camp after signing as undrafted free agents, while Harris is part of the same legal picture that could reshape whether any of them have a college option waiting if pro football does not stick. It is the kind of ruling that can linger around a program long after the roster has turned over, especially when the next step for former Rebels is still being sorted out. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Is Suddenly Tied To A Portal Situation No One Expected
DaeQuan Wright, a former Ole Miss tight end now with the Cleveland Browns, has become part of an unusual new wrinkle in college football after entering the NCAA transfer portal. The move makes him the first active NFL player to test this path, coming in the wake of a recent court ruling that opened the door for certain former NFL players to pursue college eligibility again.
For Ole Miss, the significance is less about a reunion and more about what this kind of ruling could mean for the roster-building landscape going forward. Pete Golding has already made it clear that timing and roster limits would make it unlikely for the Rebels to add players in this situation, and the NCAA is expected to appeal, leaving the whole development in a state of limbo for now. [Read more 🡒]