LSU has made its call on two of the most talked-about additions in college football this offseason, and for now, Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris are not on the roster for the season opener.
That leaves their status for LSU’s Week 1 game against Clemson in doubt, even after the judge in Baton Rouge granted eligibility to the two former NFL players as part of the TRO case involving 20 athletes. The program had faced a deadline to add them, but as of now, it has not done so.
The decision comes with plenty of pressure hanging over it. The SEC and attorneys general from other states had threatened to sue LSU if Wright and Harris took the field, and the conference has also said it would sanction the Tigers if they played, up to and including removing LSU from the conference. In response, the Tigers were hesitant and chose not to put them on the roster for the opener.
That move came even though Wright told media members he expected to be on the field in LSU’s first game of the year. The Tigers also had support from school officials and Governor Jeff Landry, but they still appear unwilling to call the conference’s bluff.
For now, the program is treating the two as sidelined additions, even though they are enrolled in school. LSU can add them to the roster at any point during the season if it decides to go that direction.
The Tigers can at least open the year without losing projected starters by holding them out. Trey'dez Green remains at tight end, and LSU still has a number of defensive tackles who can help in the matchup. The veteran experience Wright and Harris would bring is the one obvious loss, but the roster still looks deep enough to chase the first win of the Lane Kiffin era in Baton Rouge.
In Other News...
LSU Just Got Caught In College Footballs Eligibility Chaos
A Baton Rouge judge was weighing whether two former NFL players could suit up for LSU this fall, another sign of how unsettled college footballs eligibility rules have become. For the Tigers, it is part of a wider mess that now stretches well beyond campus and into courtrooms, where questions about who can play, when they can play and under what conditions are being argued almost as often as they are decided on the field.
Now the issue is heading to Washington, where Sen. Ted Cruz has been pushing the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act as a way to set federal standards for eligibility, NIL and transfers while giving the NCAA limited antitrust protection to enforce its rules. The Senate is scheduled to vote on the bill between Sept. 15 and 23, and LSU's latest brush with the chaos shows why college sports leaders are under growing pressure to find something more stable before every roster question turns into another legal fight. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Clemson Statement Just Sparked A Bigger Early Season Question
LSUs season-opening rout of Clemson did more than announce the Tigers as a team to watch, it also put several of its best players in the league spotlight. After the 51-10 win, three LSU players were recognized by the SEC, with Sam Leavitt earning Offensive Player of the Week honors, Jordan Seaton landing Lineman of the Week on offense and Jordan Ross taking home Defensive Lineman of the Week.
The awards only sharpen the early-season conversation around LSU, because a performance that dominant tends to raise the bar quickly. When three different players are honored after one game, it suggests the Tigers were not just sharp in one area, but carried the kind of balance and physical edge that can travel into the rest of September and beyond. [Read more 🡒]
Former LSU Tigers Took The Clemson Rout Into The Saints Locker Room
LSUs 51-10 win over Clemson did not stay on the field for long. By the time several former Tigers who now play for the New Orleans Saints got back around their own locker room, the victory had turned into a bit of cross-team mischief, with Saints players using the result to needle a couple of former Clemson teammates in a way only pro athletes seem to appreciate.
Travis Etienne Jr. and Bryan Bresee came back to decorated lockers, with LSU-themed items waiting for them courtesy of Saints teammates Barion Brown, Davon Godchaux and Will Clapp. Brown and Godchaux are still active players, while Clapp has moved into a coaching role on the Saints offensive line, and the whole thing added a little extra local flavor to a win LSU fans were already enjoying. [Read more 🡒]