QB Brandon Harris leaving LSU as graduate transfer

Brandon Harris lost his starting job in 2016, and now he is leaving LSU.

The Tigers quarterback announced Monday that he will pursue a graduate transfer for his final season of college football. In a message posted on his Twitter account, Harris said he has been granted a full release by LSU head coach Ed Orgeron.

Harris arrived at LSU in 2014 as a Rivals Top 100 recruit and split time with Anthony Jennings throughout the year, including one start. He beat out Jennings for the starting job in 2015 and threw for 2,165 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions while completing just 53.8 percent of his passes. He began the 2016 season as the starter, but was replaced by Purdue transfer Danny Etling after struggling early in the year.

[Newsletter: Get 5 great stories from the Yahoo Sports blogs in your inbox every morning!]

He initially said in December that he wasn’t planning to leave Baton Rouge, but after further evaluation he’ll pursue another opportunity. According to The Advocate, Harris plans to graduate “in May or over the summer.” If he earns his degree, he would be immediately eligible to suit up at another FBS school in 2017.

Harris is the latest in a long list of Les Miles-era quarterbacks to leave the program with eligibility remaining.

[Follow Dr. Saturday on social media: Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr]

With Harris out of the picture, Etling is the favorite to start again for the Tigers in 2017. But with new offensive coordinator Matt Canada in place after leaving Pitt, Etling, who threw for 2,123 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions in 2016, will have to compete with a slew of underclassmen, including four-star freshman Myles Brennan. Brennan, a Rivals 250 prospect, is expected to arrive on campus in the summer.

For more LSU news, visit TigerBait.com.

– – – – – – –

Sam Cooper is a writer for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!

Follow @SamDCooper