The SEC may be headed for an all-out showdown with LSU, and the conference’s response could go well beyond words.
According to a Monday report from Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger, “high-ranking SEC university executives” are weighing “extreme measures” if LSU goes ahead and adds former NFL players Dae’Quan Wright and Xzavian Harris to its 2026 roster. Among the options being discussed: boycotting games against the Tigers, placing LSU on SEC probation or even expelling the school, and/or launching a federal legal challenge. Dellenger reported that any such move is being viewed as “not league driven, but membership led.”
The backdrop is a court hearing Thursday in Baton Rouge, where SEC commissioner Greg Sankey is expected to testify as a state district court judge considers whether to make a temporary restraining order against the NCAA - and by extension the SEC - a permanent injunction. That order already opened the door for 33 athletes, including Wright and Harris, to gain eligibility for the 2026-27 athletic year after a judge ruled the NCAA must count athletes who graduated from high school in 2022 and used up their four years of college eligibility under its new “five to play five” rule.
Wright and Harris, who played for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss and were released by NFL teams earlier this month, have already verbally committed to LSU. The Tigers’ roster plans could shift again, too: Jack Pyburn, a former LSU linebacker, was waived by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the weekend and reportedly intended to enroll at LSU, but the Kansas City Chiefs claimed him Monday.
The SEC tried to get ahead of this last week, passing a new rule 15-0 with LSU abstaining that bars member schools from rostering players who have signed pro contracts with the NFL, NBA, WNBA or G League. LSU’s men’s basketball program is also planning to sign former St. John’s guard RJ Luis, who played three preseason games with the Boston Celtics last fall.
The league has never expelled a member school. Georgia Tech and Tulane left on their own in the 1960s, while Sewanee exited in 1940 after deciding it would no longer award athletic scholarships. For a separate example, Temple was kicked out of the Big East in 2004 over issues including poor attendance and inadequate facilities.
LSU also has a hard deadline Friday to finalize its 105-man football roster before Saturday’s season opener against Clemson. If the school wins in court and is able to add Wright and Harris, any punishment the rest of the SEC chooses could follow quickly.
However it plays out, the next few days could be unlike anything the SEC has seen before.
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The important part, though, is still ahead. Wommack has made it clear that offseason progress only matters if it shows up when the games begin, and for Taylor and Griffin, the real examination will come once the lights are on and the pressure rises. Alabama has identified two young defenders worth watching closely, but their next step is proving they can turn promise into dependable production on game days. [Read more 🡒]
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There is a reason Alabama is talking about him now, even before the full picture of his college role has taken shape. DeBoer emphasized that Morgan will need to help on offense and on special teams, which usually says plenty about how a program plans to get a young player on the field early and keep him there. For a receiver still building experience, the assignment is straightforward and demanding at the same time: earn trust, broaden the toolbox, and turn promise into a real contribution. [Read more 🡒]