LSU found a late roster boost just in time for its opener, and the newest Tiger had already spent the summer at the center of a major eligibility fight.
Junior Tuihalamaka, a fifth-year edge rusher who transferred from Notre Dame, was on the field Saturday for LSU’s 51-10 win over Clemson after becoming eligible to play on Thursday. A Baton Rouge judge granted Tuihalamaka and roughly 40 other plaintiffs a preliminary injunction in the NCAA eligibility lawsuit filed in Louisiana on Aug. 19.
Tuihalamaka had started practicing with LSU earlier in the week, coach Lane Kiffin said, and he was officially added to the roster Friday. He did not sign an NFL contract this summer, which set him apart from two other fifth-year plaintiffs LSU is committed to using this season. Former Ole Miss starters Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris both spent time with NFL franchises in August, and neither was added when the Tigers finalized the roster Friday.
That delay ties directly to the SEC’s new rule that bars athletes who signed deals with U.S. professional teams. The conference filed a lawsuit Thursday in an Alabama federal court against LSU, athletic director Verge Ausberry and Kiffin, seeking legal protection to enforce the rule and the penalties that could come with it.
LSU still has room to add Wright and Harris if it chooses. The Tigers were included in the injunction along with the NCAA and the SEC on Thursday, and they left two roster spots open in case Kiffin and his staff decide to change course later in the season.
For now, though, Tuihalamaka is the one who can contribute immediately. He played mostly on special teams against Clemson and also lined up as LSU’s fifth defensive end. Princewill Umanmielen and Jordan Ross started on the edge, with redshirt junior Dylan Carpenter and freshman Lamar Brown rotating in behind them.
“This night was awesome for our fans,” he said, “and that shouldn’t be the storyline.”
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