LSU’s plans to add a pair of former Ole Miss standouts got a major boost Thursday night when Judge William Jorden granted a preliminary injunction to several athletes, including two names the Tigers are eyeing for the roster.
Former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Smith and former Ole Miss defensive tackle Zxavian Harris are now one step closer to suiting up for LSU. Both players want to return to college football after spending part of the summer with NFL franchises. Each went undrafted in 2026 and was waived by NFL teams.
Smith and Harris have already logged four seasons of college football. Harris played all four at Ole Miss, while Wright spent two years at Virginia Tech and two at Ole Miss.
The legal backdrop matters here. In June of 2026, the NCAA announced that athletes from the class of 2023 onward would receive five years of eligibility, a ruling that excluded the class of 2022. That sparked lawsuits from several players in that class, and the ongoing court fights have already opened the door for some of them to earn a fifth year.
These two cases were more complicated, though, because much of college football is against players returning after they’ve signed professional contracts.
For the moment, the injunction clears the way for Wright and Harris, but LSU still has to formally add them to the roster. Final rosters are due Friday, and the Tigers open the season Saturday against Clemson.
The dispute is far from settled. The SEC and NCAA are expected to appeal.
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Knox Kiffin, the three-star quarterback and son of LSU head coach Lane Kiffin, will be on one sideline, while Colton Nussmeier, a four-star Georgia commit and younger brother of NFL quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, will be on the other. For LSU followers, it is a familiar kind of early-season intrigue, with two local family storylines intersecting before the high school calendar even gets rolling. [Read more 🡒]