Kentucky’s search for backfield help may have led it to a familiar name from the pro ranks.
According to On3’s Pete Nakos, the Wildcats and Missouri are the front-runners for former UCLA and SMU running back TJ Harden, who was recently cut by the Seattle Seahawks. Harden entered the transfer portal last week after a brief run with Seattle, and Kentucky appears to be among the teams pushing hardest to land him.
Harden’s path has been a fast-moving one. The California native spent his first three college seasons at UCLA before moving on to SMU for his senior year in 2025.
After going undrafted, he signed with the Cleveland Browns in May, was waived in early August, then caught on with the Seahawks a few days later. His time there ended on Aug.
Before being released, Harden logged two carries and a fumble recovery in a Week 1 preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys. Two days after the Seahawks cut him, Harden and a group of former collegiate players were granted a TRO by a Louisiana federal court, giving them the chance to return to college football for one additional season.
If Kentucky gets him, the Wildcats would be adding a player who produced at a high level in college. Harden ran for 787 yards and nine touchdowns last season at SMU.
In his final year at UCLA in 2024, he posted 874 all-purpose yards and scored three total touchdowns. His NFL stint didn’t stick, but the college production was there the last two years.
The timing matters for Kentucky, too. The program brought in former Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein as its new head coach this offseason after moving on from Mark Stoops following the 2025 season. Stein is clearly working to reshape the roster quickly.
Tennessee is scheduled to host Kentucky on Saturday, Nov. 7, in Neyland Stadium, and the Wildcats could have an ex-NFL running back in the mix by then.
Kentucky’s pursuit of Harden also comes as Lane Kiffin is making his own push to bring former NFL players into LSU’s roster. On Sunday night, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that LSU “has an agreement in place” to add former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright. Then on Monday, On3 reported that former Ole Miss and former New Orleans Saints defensive lineman Zxavian Harris had committed to LSU out of the transfer portal.
Holden, Wright, and Harris were all included in the group that received the TRO to return to college sports last week.
“At the end of the day, you know, because of these rulings, they’re either going to play for you or they’re going to play somewhere else around the country,” Kiffin said on Monday. “So we made the decision to recruit them, like probably most people are.”
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