Several Harvard athletes could be at risk after an order by the Trump administration rescinded student visas granted to Harvard University students. A federal judge temporarily blocked the order on Friday, but a legal fight is likely.
Nearly 200 Harvard international students play sports across 42 Division I sports, the latter of which is the most in the nation. Six Crimson football players — five returning and one incoming — could be affected by the ban. Those six players are:
- OL Enzo Agostini, sophomore (Parksville, British Columbia, Canada)
- WR Brady Blackburn, sophomore (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada)
- OL Dominik Di Filippo, junior (Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada)
- TE Leo Li, junior (Beijing, China)
- OL Nihaal Rana, sophomore (Toronto, Ontario, Canada)
- OL Ewan Newton, incoming freshman (Carleton Place, Ontario, Canada)
Most of the players are underclassmen expected to step into bigger roles as they get older. However, Blackburn recorded six catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game. He is expected to be a significant part of the wide receiver rotation for a team that went 8-2 in 2024 under first-year coach Andrew Aurich.
However, football is only the tip of the iceberg at a university that pulls from more international talent than almost any other. Players on the men’s basketball team hail from Sweden, France and Australia. The field hockey team is filled with athletes from England and the Netherlands. Approximately a quarter of all Harvard students are international.
Students have the right to transfer, but the process can be more complicated for athletes. Players are required to transfer during dedicated transfer windows, which have already closed for all fall and winter sports, including football. Even for players who can transfer, it’s unclear whether they’d be able to find open roster spots on such short notice.
In a statement on Thursday, the Department of Homeland Security said that it would block Harvard’s Student and Exchange Visitor Program certification for “pro-terrorist conduct.” Without the certification, it’s far more difficult for students at a given university to receive nonimmigrant visas to enroll as students.
“Harvard can no longer enroll foreign students and existing foreign students must transfer or lose their legal status,” the US Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
Harvard quickly responded to the decision by the Department of Homeland Security by calling the move “unlawful.” The university did not immediately respond to request for comment, but president Alan M. Garber released a statement vowing to fight the decision in court.
“For those international students and scholars affected by yesterday’s action, know that you are vital members of our community,” Garber wrote. “We will support you as we do our utmost to ensure that Harvard remains open to the world.”
All four offensive linemen (Agostini, Di Filippo, Rana and Newton) were brought to the U.S. during high school to play at New England Prep Schools. Newton, an incoming freshman, spent the 2024-25 school year at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire.
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