CLEARANCE PENDING: Texas Tech’s 4-Star Transfer Still Waiting on NCAA — Staff ‘Losing Patience’
LUBBOCK, TX — It’s late July, and the air around the Texas Tech football facility is thick with more than the West Texas heat. Inside the Jones AT&T Stadium complex, hushed conversations are turning into frustrated phone calls, and eyes once hopeful are now shadowed with concern. The reason? A crucial piece of the Red Raiders’ 2025 puzzle — 4-star transfer wide receiver Malik “Jet” Harwood — remains tangled in NCAA red tape.
Harwood, a dynamic 6’2″, 200-pound playmaker from Baton Rouge, dazzled fans and scouts alike during his two seasons at Georgia Southern. With 1,143 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2024 alone, he was widely considered one of the top skill players to enter the transfer portal this offseason. Texas Tech, looking to replace key departures and bolster its air-raid arsenal, moved swiftly to bring him to Lubbock. By early May, Harwood was enrolled in summer classes and practicing unofficially with the team.
But now, as fall camp looms just days away, Harwood remains in limbo.
Sources close to the program confirmed that the NCAA has yet to grant his immediate eligibility waiver — a decision that was expected weeks ago. “We did everything by the book,” said one staffer, speaking anonymously. “Our compliance office submitted the waiver in early June. We’ve followed up multiple times. Silence. Meanwhile, our game plan’s on hold.”
Insiders suggest the delay may stem from complications surrounding Harwood’s reason for transfer — reportedly tied to family medical issues — and whether it meets the NCAA’s increasingly opaque “compelling circumstances” standard. Despite Texas Tech providing what they describe as “comprehensive documentation,” progress has stalled.
Head coach Jarret Milner, entering his third year, has publicly remained composed. “We believe in the process,” he said last week. “We’re hopeful for a resolution soon.” Privately, however, frustration is boiling over. Assistant coaches, tasked with reworking schemes and shuffling reps in Harwood’s absence, are growing restless.
“He’s not just another player,” said wide receivers coach Terrance Duvall. “He’s a culture guy. He came here to compete, to lead. Every day this drags out is a day we lose cohesion.”
Meanwhile, Harwood has kept his head down, attending team meetings and individual workouts, but NCAA restrictions prevent him from participating in official practices. “It’s tough,” he told a local reporter during a charity event last weekend. “I just want to play ball. I’ve done everything they asked. I don’t know what else I can do.”
Fans, too, are beginning to stir. The “Free Jet” hashtag has begun trending among Red Raider circles on X (formerly Twitter), with some calling on the NCAA to expedite the decision.
As the first game against Arizona State approaches, one thing is clear: time is running short. For Texas Tech, the absence of Harwood could mean a slower start to a season already packed with expectations. For Harwood, the delay threatens a pivotal year in his quest for NFL recognition.
All eyes now turn to Indianapolis, where NCAA decision-makers hold the fate of a young man — and perhaps Texas Tech’s season — in bureaucratic suspense.
