Lane Kiffin is once again at the center of a college football fight, and this one cuts straight to the edge of eligibility, contracts and what conferences are willing to allow.
On Tuesday, Kiffin went on The Pat McAfee Show and defended his recruitment of former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who spent the last few months on the Cleveland Browns’ roster. Kiffin framed the move as part of a larger eligibility conversation, pointing to court orders that have allowed players to get back on the field.
“Over 100 athletes in multiple sports were cleared and said you could go play. That’s a court order,” Kiffin said.
“If you think back on all the different court orders of great players that were granted - whether that’s Diego Pavia or, now, Trinidad (Chambliss) that were allowed to play a sixth year, we followed all court orders. I think you get into a really interesting situation as a conference if you’re now saying, ‘Well, we’re not going to follow this court order.’
These kids that a court says can go anywhere, we’re going to say, ‘No you can’t.’”
Kiffin was clear that he does not support the idea of professionals returning to college football in general, but he argued Wright falls into a different category.
“I don’t think professionals should come back to college sports and college football particularly… (But) this isn’t professionals that have gone and played seasons or just randomly filed an injunction in a state to become eligible,” he said.
He also said the first team to commit to Wright was always going to take the heat for it.
“Whoever the first player committed to was going to be the poster child,” Kiffin said. “I told my team that… There’s all kinds of schools that recruited him.
Ask Drew Rosenhaus, his agent. There were schools that offered him a lot to come there, including in this conference, and including his previous school.
But he chose us. I said, ‘Get ready guys.
This is going to be Lane Kiffin and LSU are doing something nobody else is doing.’”
Hours later, the SEC and the Big Ten pushed back in a major way. The two conferences announced a new policy that specifically bars teams from having athletes who previously signed a pro contract with one of the major sports leagues or who even declared for the draft in one of those leagues.
That policy sets up the next layer of the fight, even if whether it can actually be enforced is another question.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Fires Back As LSU Leans Into Roster Controversy
LSUs roster building has already become a talking point this summer, and Lane Kiffin has not been shy about explaining why the Tigers are adding players with NFL training-camp experience. He pointed to court rulings that gave certain athletes an extra year of eligibility, saying the situation is less about former pro hopefuls simply deciding to come back to college and more about a protected group of players whose eligibility was extended by the courts.
For LSU, the issue is as much about competition as it is about classification. Kiffin framed the additions as part of the programs effort to build the best roster possible, and he noted the value of bringing professional experience back into a college locker room. The controversy may keep drawing attention, but LSU appears content to keep leaning into the advantage it believes these players can provide. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Got A D-Line Boost Amid The SEC Eligibility Mess
The SECs latest eligibility ruling has already started to ripple through the conference, creating complications for players who declared, signed or were otherwise tied to NFL teams. For LSU, though, the picture is a little different with Notre Dame defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka, whose path to Baton Rouge has stayed open because he did not sign with an NFL team and is covered by a temporary restraining order.
For the Tigers, that matters because the defensive line has been an area where added depth never hurts in the SEC grind. Tuihalamaka has also cleared the intraconference transfer rule, so LSU is expected to be able to count on him as a reinforcement while the broader eligibility mess continues to sort itself out around the league. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs New Roster Plan Just Hit A Brutal SEC Roadblock
LSUs roster plans took an immediate hit when the SEC unanimously approved a new rule banning former professional athletes from joining any football or basketball team in the conference. The move gives commissioner Greg Sankey broad enforcement power, including the authority to sideline schools from competition and suspend coaches or administrators who violate the policy, turning what might have been a simple eligibility issue into a major league-wide restriction.
For LSU, the timing stings because the ban directly affects expected additions Dae'Quan Wright, Zxavian Harris, and RJ Luis, all of whom had been on track to help the Tigers in football and basketball. The ruling leaves the program with fewer options as it tries to build out its roster, and it adds another layer of uncertainty to a period when every incoming piece matters. [Read more 🡒]