LSU QB Brandon Harris announces intent to become graduate transfer

In the coming months, the graduate transfer market will heat up and the Texas Longhorns could decide to pursue LSU Tigers quarterback Brandon Harris, who announced on Monday that he plans to transfer:

The 6’3, 218-pounder has one season of eligibility remaining and would be eligible to play immediately if he graduates during the spring or summer as planned.

And though head coach Tom Herman said that he doesn’t plan on taking another quarterback this year, the program currently has only three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster for 2017.

There’s also a connection between Harris and Herman — as the offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes during the 2014 recruiting cycle, Herman served as the primary recruiter for Harris before taking lower-rated Stephen Collier out of Georgia.

Harris started one game as a freshman after sparking the offense against New Mexico State, then held that role in a full-time capacity during his sophomore season, throwing for over 2,000 yards and 13 touchdowns.

However, Harris fell out of favor after throwing two interceptions in the season opener against Wisconsin that helped sink former head coach Les Miles and offensive coordinator Cam Cameron. By the time the Tigers fired both of those coaches following a late September loss, Harris had already fallen out of favor.

He did not appear in the final seven games of the season, even though replacement Danny Etling, a Purdue transfer, was less than impressive at times.

Known as something of a raw prospect out of high school, Harris didn’t get his needed redshirt year to develop, but did go 9-5 as a starter and has a strong arm to accentuate his running ability.

With only one season of eligibility remaining, Harris may opt for a program that doesn’t feature a returning starter like Shane Buechele. However, given the current numbers for Texas and the previous relationship between Herman and Harris, it’s possible the Longhorns take a look at the talented passer.