Saturday is the opening day of the college football season for most teams, and no school is facing as many questions about their roster as the LSU Tigers. Coach Lane Kiffin has added a couple of players who have NFL experience to his team, something that is in a bit of a gray area given the ongoing legal battle over their eligibility. Those players, tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris, were on Kiffin's team at Ole Miss before participating in training camp with the Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints, respectively.
Now, they've enrolled at LSU, though Kiffin and the school had a choice to make: Are they actually going to play in the season opener? As reported by Pete Thamel of ESPN, it seems the answer, at least for now, is no. "Sources: LSU has not added Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris to the team’s roster for the Clemson game," Thamel reports.
"They could potentially be added later in the year, as both are enrolled in school. LSU has 103 players on the roster submitted, and that leaves them two spots. "They received an injunction from a state court judge to pave the way for their eligibility.
The SEC’s ability to punish them is unclear in the wake of the court order and any future litigation. Both signed NFL deals before returning after getting cut." As Thamel referenced, those players, Kiffin and LSU all could face punishment if they play in a game. The SEC has said coaches like Kiffin could be suspended up to half a season, while schools could be fined as much as half their operating budget for that sport, among other penalties.
Of course, whether the SEC could actually enforce those penalties is also a gray area. It seems at least for this matchup with the Clemson Tigers, though, Kiffin and LSU aren't ready to take that risk just yet.
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