LSU’s push to bring two former NFL players back into college football got a boost Thursday when a Louisiana judge sided with the Tigers in their eligibility fight with the SEC.
The ruling means LSU can keep moving forward with the addition of tight end Dae'Quan Wright and defensive lineman Zxavian Harris without the conference enforcing its ban on former professional athletes, at least for now. The timing matters: with Saturday’s showdown against Clemson in Baton Rouge less than 48 hours away, LSU can now work to get both players onto the roster.
The legal backdrop is messy and still far from settled. Athletes from the class of 2022 had previously won temporary restraining orders against the NCAA in courtrooms around the country, including Louisiana, to secure an extra year of eligibility. Once the SEC unanimously approved its own ban on former professional athletes, attorneys for the affected players brought the conference and commissioner Greg Sankey into those lawsuits, which led to Thursday’s hearing.
Even with LSU winning this round, the fight is not done. On Wednesday, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr urged SEC member schools to handle the situation themselves if LSU allows former professional athletes to play, saying the conference should use "all measures available," including suspension or expulsion.
There’s also growing chatter that other SEC schools are considering their own legal path. Sources told CBS Sports' John Talty that some league members have discussed a federal-court challenge and even the possibility of forfeiting games. The SEC, meanwhile, said in a statement to CBS Sports that it will follow the order while continuing its effort to enforce its rules.
"The order entered against the SEC and Commissioner Sankey is a temporary restraining order, not a final ruling on the merits," the SEC said. "The SEC and Commissioner Sankey are prepared to contest the allegations in the plaintiffs' petition at Thursday morning's hearing and defend the SEC's rights as a voluntary association to fulfill its mission to its member institutions."
For LSU, though, the immediate football impact is clear. Wright and Harris can now be plugged in, and both bring something the Tigers can use right away.
Wright enters a tight end group that already includes Trey'Dez Green, but there’s no reason to think he has to be a side piece. According to 247Sports, Wright posted a 74 percent route-run percentage and averaged 9.9 yards per route, a figure that sits three yards above the SEC average. That kind of production gives LSU another legitimate target in the passing game and could open the door for more two-tight-end looks.
Harris addresses a different need. LSU spent much of the offseason with questions along the interior of its defensive line, where true freshmen Deuce Geralds and Richard Anderson were expected to play major roles.
Both are talented, but Harris brings the experience the Tigers were missing. At 6-foot-8 and 330 pounds, he gives LSU a massive presence in the middle, and last season for the Rebels he played 66% of the defensive snaps while finishing with nine tackles for loss and three sacks.
And LSU may not be done. The ruling could create room for another late addition, with former Utah cornerback Blake Cotton also in the mix. Cotton recently received a temporary restraining order and "intends to seek a roster spot at a D-I University in Louisiana," per The Advocate.
Before the 2025 season, Cotton transferred from UC Davis to Utah and started eight games for the Utes. He totaled 30 tackles, two tackles for loss and seven passes defended.
Cotton also signed an NFL contract with the Denver Broncos in the offseason, which would have made him ineligible under the SEC’s ban on former professional athletes. With that restriction temporarily out of the way, Cotton is now eligible to join an SEC team and would give LSU depth in the secondary.
In Other News...
Clemsons LSU Opener Just Got A Lot More Complicated
LSUs preparations for its opener against Clemson just got a lot messier after a Louisiana judge granted a temporary injunction that allows former NFL preseason players DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris to remain eligible until their legal case is resolved. The ruling keeps both players in the conversation for LSUs roster as the Tigers head into a game that already had plenty of attention attached to it, and it adds another layer to a matchup Clemson was preparing to treat like an early measuring stick.
The SEC has filed a lawsuit against LSU over the schools recruiting of former professional players, and the league now appears poised to push back harder after the injunction. Attorneys for the SEC plan to appeal the ruling, leaving LSU in the middle of a legal fight with the opener looming and a potential roster decision still hanging over one of the biggest games on its schedule. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Faces A Wild Roster Fight Just Before Clemson Opener
A legal ruling this week opened the door for LSU to add more bodies to its roster just as the Tigers are trying to get settled for the season, with former professional athletes DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris now eligible to play after a federal judge granted a preliminary injunction. LSU is moving quickly to add Wright and Harris before the deadline, and it is also working to bring Blake Cotton onto the roster as well, a reminder that the personnel battles around college football can be just as intense as anything on the field.
For Clemson, the timing is hard to ignore with the opener looming, because LSU is still sorting through eligibility and roster questions while the SEC has already pushed back hard. The conference has filed a lawsuit against LSU and Lane Kiffin and plans to appeal the ruling, leaving the situation in a legal gray area even as LSU tries to get its lineup in place for the start of the year. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio States No. 1 Opener Just Got A Bigger Week 1 Spotlight
The 2026 college football calendar already has plenty of heavy lifting built into it, and Clemson is right in the middle of it. The Week 1 slate features all AP Top 25 teams, but the matchup drawing the sharpest attention on the Tigers side is LSUs season debut against Clemson, part of a full opening weekend that also includes games like Louisville against Ole Miss and a packed broadcast lineup across the sport.
For Clemson, the intrigue is obvious because the opener brings an early measuring stick against a national power and a fresh LSU look under Lane Kiffin. The schedule details are set, the stage is national, and the first Saturday in September now carries even more weight for a Clemson program that will have to answer a big question right away, with the Tigers entering that one in an unexpected role. [Read more 🡒]