LSU’s late-night call settled the biggest off-field storyline hanging over Saturday’s Clemson matchup.
Despite having two open roster spots for Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, LSU did not add either player to the roster for the Clemson game. The Tigers had until midnight on Friday to make the decision, and they chose to hold off rather than force the issue under outside pressure.
That means Wright and Harris will not make their LSU debuts against Clemson on Saturday night. It also means the Tigers won’t have former NFL players available for one of the weekend’s biggest non-conference games.
Sources: LSU has not added Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris to the team’s roster for the Clemson game. 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. pic.twitter.com/aLJ797WKhJ
- Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 5, 2026
Until Wright and Harris are officially placed on LSU’s roster, they can’t practice with the team. That made their availability for Week 1 a long shot from the start, and the eligibility issue only added to the noise around a game that already had plenty of attention.
The whole situation had become a major distraction, and it threatened to overshadow the matchup itself. Clemson now heads into Baton Rouge without having to deal with that particular wrinkle, and that could matter in a game where the cleaner team may have the edge.
Clemson enters as a program that will need things to break right to pull the upset, but it also arrives with less baggage attached to the week than LSU. College GameDay is in Baton Rouge, yet there is still a sense that Clemson is the side drawing some of the national sympathy heading into kickoff.
For Dabo Swinney’s team, this is unfamiliar territory in Baton Rouge, but that could work in its favor in some ways. Still, the simplest truth may be the biggest one: the team that stays steadier is likely to win Saturday night. Clemson may have to be sharper than LSU to leave with a victory, and it has been less distracted on the way in.
For now, the game can finally move past the roster drama. LSU’s late decision kept the situation from spilling any further into the weekend, and Clemson won’t have to prepare for former NFL players on the other side. Whatever happens next, that part of the story is over.
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Clemsons LSU Opener Comes With A Roster Standoff Still Hanging
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Clemson had warned LSU that putting the players on the field could run afoul of contract terms, and LSU still has room to add them later in the season if it chooses. For now, the situation leaves one more unresolved subplot around a game that already carries plenty of attention, especially with both players having previously played for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. [Read more 🡒]