LSU’s push to land RJ Luis for the 2026-27 season is reportedly over, but the Tigers may be getting two important frontcourt pieces cleared in time for this year.
According to Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, LSU is giving up its fight to make Luis eligible. The SEC had already refused to clear the former St.
Mary’s star after he signed a two-way deal with the Utah Jazz and an Exhibit 10 contract with the Boston Celtics. A judge did issue an injunction that made him eligible, but bringing him back would have run afoul of the SEC’s rules barring professional players from returning to college.
That setback comes with a pair of possible wins for LSU. Norlander also reported that international forward Saliou Niang has been cleared by the NCAA, while French center Brice Dessert should be cleared soon. That would make both players available for the upcoming season.
Niang would be a major addition. He is from Senegal and has spent the last several seasons playing professionally in Italy. The Cleveland Cavaliers selected him in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft, though he reportedly never signed with the team, which leaves him eligible.
Last season, Niang played for Virtus Bologna in the Italian Lega Basket Serie A and the EuroLeague. In 76 games, he averaged 8.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
Dessert gives LSU size, and plenty of it. Listed at 7 feet, he would add another rim protector to the roster. He appeared in 43 games last season for Anadolu Efes, competing in the EuroLeague and the Basketball Super League, and averaged 7.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.0 block in 16.7 minutes per game.
LSU opens the season against LSU New Orleans on Saturday, Nov. 3.
Before that, the Tigers will play their final exhibition game on Saturday against the FSU Seminoles in Tallahassee, Florida. That exhibition will be streamed on ESPN+ and begins at noon CT.
In Other News...
LSU Heads To Auburn With Two More Starter Questions
LSUs injury picture got a little murkier coming out of the Mississippi State game, and now the Tigers are heading into Auburn with two more starter questions hanging over the week. Princewill Umanmielen and Jackson Harris both went down in the contest, and both figures are likely to land on the injury report as LSU starts sorting out who will be available for a road trip that already figures to test the depth chart.
Umanmielens issue is an upper body injury believed to be head-related, which could put him into concussion protocol, while Harris left with a foot injury and was seen in a boot afterward. Brian Kelly didnt offer any medical updates, though he did indicate Harris is expected to be fine, and LSU is prepared to lean on backups if either player cant go against Auburn. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Lost A Key Piece In Will Wades First Season
LSU has settled one eligibility fight before the season even tips, and the result leaves Will Wades first roster with a notable hole. Guard RJ Luis Jr. will not be cleared by the SEC to play for the Tigers after the league determined he violated conference rules tied to signing a professional contract, ending the programs battle over his status and shifting the focus to getting ready for the year ahead.
There is at least one brighter note in Baton Rouge, though, because forward Saliou Niang has been ruled eligible for the season. Niang was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but his decision to attend college came before recent NCAA rule changes, allowing LSU to keep him in the mix as it tries to move past the Luis situation and sort out its rotation. [Read more 🡒]
LSU-Auburn Just Got More Complicated At Linebacker
LSUs trip to Auburn took a hit when linebacker Whit Weeks suffered a fractured right leg and is expected to miss the upcoming game. Weeks has been a key part of the Tigers defensive plans, so his absence adds another layer of uncertainty to a matchup that already carried plenty of weight.
Auburn is dealing with its own linebacker shakeup after Xaiver Atkins was dismissed from the team ahead of the game, following an earlier suspension for undisclosed disciplinary reasons. Atkins has said he plans to enter the transfer portal, while Auburn coach Alex Golesh has not revealed what led to the discipline, leaving both sides with major questions in the middle of a conference matchup that was already shaping up to be tricky enough. [Read more 🡒]