Mike Elko didn’t need a long answer to make his point about LSU’s SEC mess. He just needed one sharp comparison.
During his weekly appearance on The Aggie Football Hour, the Texas A&M coach was asked by a fan about the controversy surrounding LSU, and he took a humorous swipe at the Tigers’ situation.
“This is a little bit like the son figuring out where the limits are until Dad comes home and raises his voice, and then the son goes, ‘I was just kidding; I didn’t mean any of that.,’" Elko said during this week's edition of The Aggie Football Hour. "I think that’s what you’re seeing.
LSU will be in the SEC. LSU will be fired up when we go to Baton Rouge in a couple of weeks.
All of those things are going to happen. This is just a little bit of parenting going on right now.”
The backdrop has been a major SEC controversy involving LSU’s attempt to add two former NFL players, Dae'Quan Weight and Zxavian Harris, to its roster. Both players were granted injunctions to play by the state of Louisiana, and both also spent last season with Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin.
That only added to the scrutiny as Kiffin, Louisiana lawyers, and other decision-makers kept pushing against the SEC’s patience. The conference responded by filing a federal suit against the school and Kiffin and calling a meeting to discuss the potential expulsion of the Tigers from the league.
LSU eventually backed down and decided not to add the players, but the SEC still has not finished dealing with the situation.
The expulsion talk has eased, though sanctions from the league still remain possible. That leaves LSU and Kiffin facing the possibility of being punished further, even if the Tigers are no longer staring at removal from the conference.
For now, Texas A&M’s focus is elsewhere. The Aggies are set to play Arizona State this Saturday at Kyle Field, while their trip to Baton Rouge comes later this month. When they get there, the stakes around LSU’s situation should be much clearer.
We will find out one way or the other on September 26 at Tiger Stadium.
In Other News...
LSU Just Made A Roster Decision Fans Never Expected Under SEC Pressure
LSUs latest roster move landed in the middle of a fight that has been building around college sports and the SECs rules on former professional athletes. The Tigers added Gabriel Reliford and Aidan Anding to their 105-player roster, a move that gave the program the numbers it needed while keeping the roster within the framework of the leagues ongoing pressure over eligibility questions.
The decision also meant two former NFL contract signees, DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris, were left off the teams roster for now. The issue sits inside a broader legal standoff, with the SEC taking the position that athletes who signed professional contracts should not be allowed back in college sports, while LSU continues to challenge that interpretation as the dispute escalates. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Faces Mounting SEC Pressure In Fight That Could Force A Response
Tony Clayton, the attorney representing former NFL players DaeQuan Wright and Zxavaian Harris, has taken his criticism of SEC commissioner Greg Sankey public after LSU declined to roster his clients and instead added two injured players. The episode has pulled LSU into a widening conference and legal dispute, one that has already prompted the SEC to threaten expulsion over bylaws that prohibit former professional players from returning to college competition.
The fight has moved well beyond a roster decision, with federal lawsuits and injunctions now part of the picture as the SEC, NCAA and LSU all remain entangled. LSU coach Lane Kiffin has denied orchestrating the players return, but he has backed them legally, leaving the Tigers in the middle of a test of conference authority that could still force a response from the league office. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs Receiver Doubts Took A Hit After One Transfers Debut
Winston Watkins Jr. gave LSU exactly the kind of opening-night spark the Tigers were hoping to see from their transfer class, turning in a team-high seven catches for 110 yards and a touchdown in the 51-10 win over Clemson. The former Ole Miss receiver fit right into a lineup that had spent the offseason under plenty of scrutiny, and his debut was part of a broader statement from a group that was expected to help steady the offense right away.
Watkins pointed to the team's extensive preparation under coach Lane Kiffin and said he believed in the roster despite the uncertainty and off-field noise that followed LSU into the season. With other transfers also contributing and the Tigers rolling from the start, the question now is less about whether the newcomers can help and more about how much further this group can lift an offense that looked awfully comfortable in its first real test. [Read more 🡒]