​Plenty of football players grew up dreaming of one day making it to the NFL. One former UCLA Bruin reached the NFL but quickly turned back, with running back TJ Harden entering the transfer portal just weeks after signing with the Seattle Seahawks.A court hearing in Louisiana gave 16 NFL training camp players an additional year of eligibility for the 2026-2027 season. It was earlier this month that Harden signed a one-year deal with the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks. Seattle has a significant hole at running back with Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III leaving in free agency and Zach Charbonnet still recovering back from injury.Even with the holes at running back, Harden was far from a sure thing to make the Seahawks’ 53-man roster. Instead of stressing over cut days in the NFL, Harden is looking to return to college football where he can earn NIL money before potentially getting another crack at the NFL next year.Seahawks Wire writer Dom Skene wrote about Harden’s return to college football on Wednesday.“This is an unprecedented and eye-opening report for a Wednesday night. Harden’s football career just received the anti-aging pill. He’s in the unique position of being able to market himself as a college football player who’s been practicing and preparing for the season with the defending Super Bowl champions. None of the other players in this report can say that,” Skene wrote. “Realistically, he was a longshot to make the Seahawks’ 53-man roster at the end of this month, but now, he should be recruited by blue-blood college football teams right away, especially those who need last-minute running back help. It will be incredibly fascinating to see how his season plays out.”Harden began his college career with UCLA before spending 2025 with SMU. After quick stints with the Seahawks and the Cleveland Browns, Harden now looks to return to the NCAA level.This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Seahawks RB TJ Harden returns to the NCAA and enters the portal