Former Nebraska defensive lineman Princewill Umanmielen has landed in the middle of a growing college sports money dispute, with Ole Miss reportedly weighing legal action to recover transfer buyout payments.
Umanmielen is one of two former Rebels players tied to the situation after following former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin to Baton Rouge. The other player is Devin Harper. Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter said the school is exploring its options and made clear the issue is financial, not personal.
“ Contracts are with the players. LSU could pay that on behalf of the players. So we’re kind of exploring all of that right now.”
Both players are said to still owe buyouts connected to revenue-sharing agreements they signed to stay in Oxford before later deciding to leave. The total unpaid amount is reported to be close to $1 million, with Harper owing about $407,000 and Umanmielen around $590,000. Ole Miss has not confirmed those figures, but Carter said the amount is substantial.
“I don’t really want to comment on that,” Carter told the Clarion Ledger. “It was significant. They were good players.”
If Ole Miss moves forward, it would join a growing number of athletic departments trying to use the courts to collect money from players who transferred after signing those agreements. Cincinnati is already involved in a $1 million lawsuit with former quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who transferred to Texas Tech in January before his gambling history came to light and led to a permanent NCAA eligibility ban.
Washington also reportedly threatened to sue quarterback Demond Williams when he was considering a transfer, and the size of the repayment apparently kept him from entering the portal.
For Umanmielen, who started his college career at Nebraska, the situation puts him squarely in the middle of one of the sharpest new realities in college football.
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