LSU has closed the book on its football roster for the season, and that move appears to shut down any path to adding Dae’Quan Wright or Zxavian Harris.
According to ESPN’s Pete Thamel, the Tigers have filled their final two roster spots, reaching the 105-player limit and locking the roster for the rest of the year. LSU’s official roster now lists sophomore cornerback Aidan Anding and redshirt defensive end Gabriel Reliford.
That matters because LSU had intentionally left two openings when it turned in a 103-player roster before Saturday’s game against Clemson. Those vacancies had kept alive the possibility that Wright and Harris could eventually join the team if their eligibility case kept moving in LSU’s favor.
Now that window looks closed.
The SEC pointed to those open spots in a federal filing Tuesday, arguing LSU had deliberately preserved room for the two former professional players. In that filing, the conference said SEC and NCAA rules allow teams to add players after the roster deadline as long as open spots remain and the players are properly enrolled.
Wright and Harris have been at the center of the eligibility battle. Both played at Ole Miss before moving on to NFL opportunities after the 2025 season.
Wright signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and later spent time with the Cleveland Browns. Harris signed with the New Orleans Saints.
Both players joined a Louisiana lawsuit seeking another year of college eligibility, and both testified during a Baton Rouge court hearing last week. LSU had been pursuing both players while challenging the SEC’s stance that athletes who signed professional contracts should not be allowed back into college competition.
The roster move comes at a tense moment in the larger fight between LSU and the SEC. Hours before the roster was finalized, the conference filed an amended federal lawsuit and sought emergency relief ahead of a Thursday meeting where conference presidents and chancellors are expected to consider LSU’s membership.
A federal motions hearing on the SEC’s request is set for 1 p.m. Wednesday.
The SEC has argued LSU’s push to add former professional players ran against conference principles and showed a lack of institutional control.
Even if LSU had backed away from plans to roster Wright and Harris, the SEC said in Tuesday’s filing that Thursday’s membership meeting would still go forward.
In Other News...
LSUs Ex-Pro Fight Just Ran Into A Bigger Roster Problem
LSUs roster picture got a lot tighter this week after the Tigers added injured players Aidan Anding and Gabriel Reliford to the official list, bringing the program to the NCAA limit of 105. For a team already juggling roster management and outside scrutiny, the move matters because it leaves no immediate room to add former NFL players DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris, even as the program continues sorting through the broader mess.
The situation has also spilled well beyond the depth chart. The SEC has threatened penalties and even a vote to expel LSU over its efforts to bring in the ex-professionals, while legal action involving LSU officials and the conference is still moving forward. Lane Kiffin has publicly backed the idea of signing Wright and Harris, saying he believed both were deserving of fifth seasons, but for now the Tigers are stuck with a roster logjam and no clear answer on what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Made A Roster Decision Fans Never Expected Under SEC Pressure
LSUs roster crunch got a lot more complicated after the Tigers added Gabriel Reliford and Aidan Anding to their 105-player roster, a move that quickly closed the door on two former NFL contract signees, DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris. The decision comes in the middle of a broader fight that has put the program in an uncomfortable spotlight, with the SEC taking a hard line on athletes who previously signed professional contracts and LSU pushing back on that interpretation.
The timing matters because this is not just a depth-chart issue, but a conference-level dispute that already escalated into an amended lawsuit threatening LSUs standing in the SEC. For now, the Tigers have chosen to move forward with two non-former professional players instead of opening those spots to Wright and Harris, leaving the bigger question unresolved as the legal and conference pressure continues to build. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Faces Mounting SEC Pressure In Fight That Could Force A Response
LSUs roster decision has turned into a broader SEC headache, with the conference now pressing the school over a move that brought former NFL players back into college football. Tony Clayton, who represents DaeQuan Wright and Zxavaian Harris, publicly took aim at commissioner Greg Sankey after LSU declined to roster his clients and instead added two injured players, a sequence that has only added fuel to an already tangled dispute.
The conference has threatened to expel LSU for violating bylaws that bar former professional players from returning to college, and the matter has spilled into federal court with the SEC, NCAA and LSU all caught in the legal crosscurrents. Lane Kiffin has denied orchestrating the players return, but he has backed them legally, leaving LSU in the middle of a fight that is no longer just about a depth chart and could end up forcing a response from the conference office. [Read more 🡒]