LSU defensive end Damien Shanklin is facing an ongoing Baton Rouge police investigation tied to rape allegations made by a female student, according to ESPN.
The case centers on an alleged incident last fall. Louisiana State University’s Civil Rights and Title IX office found Shanklin responsible for “forcible rape” against Kendall Francis, the student who later pushed for a police investigation after first making the accusations public in September.
Police reports obtained by ESPN say both Shanklin and Francis agreed their initial sexual contact on Oct. 18, 2025, was consensual. The dispute, according to those reports, is over what happened next, with Francis alleging Shanklin then carried out acts without her consent.
Shanklin was handed a one-year suspension after the school’s ruling this past summer, which barred him from campus activities. That punishment was later reduced on appeal, and he was allowed back on campus as long as he does not run into further legal trouble.
Title IX records obtained by ESPN also say Shanklin told Francis after the October incident that he had been suspended from the team, though he still appeared in three games afterward.
On the field, Shanklin has not practiced during LSU’s most recent fall camp and has not played in a game during the 2026 season.
His attorneys, Grant Willis and Morgan H. Johnson of Taylor Porter, said in a statement to ESPN: “What has been portrayed on social media and in the news thus far, is not a full account of all of the facts and circumstances surrounding this situation,” Shanklin's attorneys told ESPN.
“Mr. Shanklin looks forward to the day when all information surrounding this incident is brought to light and becomes public knowledge.”
Shanklin arrived at LSU as a four-star prospect from Warren Central High School in Indianapolis, IN, and was part of the Tigers’ 2025 recruiting class. As a true freshman last season, he played in five games, redshirted, and finished with two sacks. His appearances came against South Carolina, Alabama, Arkansas, Southeastern Louisiana and in the Texas Bowl against Houston.
No. 11 LSU hosts McNeese State in its non-conference finale at Tiger Stadium on Saturday.
In Other News...
Missouri's Mark Mitchell Is Back In Fifth Season Limbo
Missouri forward Mark Mitchell is back in the middle of a larger eligibility fight after a Kentucky Court of Appeals dissolved the temporary injunction that had been giving him and other athletes a path to claim a fifth season. The ruling also impacts players such as Louisville's Seth Trimble and LSU's Skyy Clark, and for now it sends the group back into the legal maze while the broader case keeps moving.
The dispute stems from the NCAA's new age-based eligibility model, which has triggered a wave of lawsuits from players hoping to extend their college careers beyond the usual limit. For Missouri, the immediate issue is familiar but unsettled: Mitchell and others who already have four seasons behind them will have to look for another route if they want to keep playing, while the NCAA continues to argue those players are not eligible for more time. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Faces A Homecoming Test Fans Cant Ignore
Homecoming weekend brings a familiar kind of pressure to Columbia, with Missouri set to host Florida in its second SEC game of the season. The Tigers enter at 3-1 after taking a loss to Mississippi State, and the timing only sharpens the spotlight on a team trying to steady itself in conference play while the campus celebrates around it.
Florida arrives undefeated at 4-0 after a win over Ole Miss, which makes the matchup feel like more than a ceremony backdrop. Missouri will need answers from Austin Simmons, Daeden Hopkins and the rest of the roster if it wants to protect home field, while Aaron Philo and the Gators bring a clean record and plenty of momentum into a game Mizzou fans have already circled. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Faces One Big Test Missouri Will Try To Expose
College football analyst David Pollack spent part of the buildup to Week 5 looking at how No. 25 Missouri could try to make life difficult for No. 8 Florida, and his attention quickly turned to the Tigers defense. Missouri has been built to create problems on that side of the ball, and the matchup feels especially important because Florida quarterback Aaron Philo may be forced to do more than lean on the ground game if the Gators are going to control it.
Austin Simmons gives Missouri a steady hand at quarterback, and the Tigers are also keeping an eye on the eventual return of star running back Ahmad Hardy. For Missouri, the broader question is whether enough offensive support is in place to match a Florida team that will arrive with the higher ranking and the bigger spotlight, while the Tigers try to turn their defensive edge into the kind of game that can linger deep into the fourth quarter. [Read more 🡒]