Lane Kiffin and LSU made waves recently when they tried to bring back two former college football players, Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, to join the Tigers' roster for the 2026 season. The issue is that both Wright and Harris had already joined NFL rosters, appearing in training camp and the preseason after going undrafted in April. That put them at odds with NCAA and SEC rules, which prohibited either player from joining Kiffin in Baton Rouge.
A Louisiana judge temporarily allowed it, putting the school at odds with the conference it plays in. At one point, the SEC even threatened to kick out LSU entirely before the university backed off and chose not to roster either player. Now the NFL is taking action, too.
The league reportedly sent a memo to teams saying both players are ineligible to visit, try out for, or sign with any team for the rest of this season. More news: Arch Manning Hit With Reality Check After Beating Ohio State The idea of pro players returning to college has become one of the biggest controversies in sports. But with regard to the Wright and Harris situation with LSU, they weren't alone.
Their lawsuit was part of a bigger group: 42 athletes across various sports sued the NCAA in Louisiana for a fifth season of eligibility, including former Notre Dame pass rusher Junior Tuihalamaka, who also planned to join LSU. A separate Texas lawsuit won similar protection for three more players who'd signed NFL contracts: linebacker Wesley Bissainthe and receivers Jordan Hudson and Omari Evans. More news: Mike Norvell’s Future at FSU Takes a Surprising Turn as Hot Seat Talk Heats Up More news: Urban Meyer Sounds the Alarm on Ohio State After Texas Loss Kiffin defended pursuing Wright and Harris, arguing that if it wasn't him, some other program would have gone after them.
Both players last suited up under Kiffin at Ole Miss, and their respective NFL careers barely got off the ground, with each appearing only in camp and briefly in the preseason. Regardless, it remains a divisive topic, and the school ultimately felt it was best to back out. Unfortunately for the players, they're now stuck in limbo, unable to join a college roster, and now banned from the NFL, too, at least for this season.
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