Jack Pyburn’s path back to LSU may have hit a hard stop, at least for now.
The former Tigers defensive end was claimed off waivers by the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, just a day after Tampa Bay let him go. That move gives Pyburn a new NFL home and puts a big question mark around the LSU return he had floated if the league didn’t keep him.
Pyburn had been the lead plaintiff in a lawsuit involving more than 40 players against the NCAA, Southeastern Conference and SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. The case is tied to a push for a fifth season of eligibility under the association’s new five-year, age-based eligibility model. Pyburn had said he intended to enroll at LSU if he was not on an NFL team after final roster cuts, but the Chiefs’ claim changes the picture.
And it’s not hard to see why NFL teams were interested. Pyburn put together a strong preseason, leading the league with four sacks and adding 10 tackles in three games. Tampa Bay simply didn’t have the room for him in a crowded linebacker group, but Kansas City snapped him up quickly.
He joined the Bucs as an undrafted free agent after going undrafted this spring. At LSU, his lone season after transferring from Florida produced 52 tackles and two sacks last year.
A return to Baton Rouge still isn’t impossible. If Pyburn wants it and gets a favorable ruling in Thursday’s preliminary injunction hearing, there is still a route back to LSU.
But the legal and roster hurdles are real: he would have to end his NFL contract and repay whatever money he has already received. Court documents show he planned to sign with LSU only if he was not on an active roster, and now that he has landed one, the Chiefs may have taken that decision out of LSU’s hands.
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The backdrop makes the debate even more striking. The SECs early history was shaped by disputes over amateurism and recruiting rules, and it has long been a league that polices its own standards while rarely testing the outer edges of punishment. LSUs situation has now reopened that old conversation, even if the more immediate question is less about precedent than about how far the conference would be willing to go in response to a move that has rattled its membership. [Read more 🡒]
Dabo Just Added Real Tension To LSUs Opener With Kiffin
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney spent part of a September 1 press conference adding a little extra juice to LSUs season opener, praising Lane Kiffin and reflecting on how long their professional paths have crossed. Swinney said he first met Kiffin when both were assistant coaches in the mid-2000s, and he described the LSU coach as one of the best in the business while also noting the growth he has seen off the field.
It is a notable backdrop for a matchup that already carried plenty of attention, because this will be the first time Swinney and Kiffin meet as head coaches. For LSU, it adds another layer to a game that will say plenty about Kiffins debut stage in Baton Rouge, with one of the sports most recognizable voices publicly framing the Tigers new leader in a way that only raises the stakes. [Read more 🡒]