Lane Kiffin is back in the middle of a college football oddity, and this time the conversation has spilled into the NFL.
The LSU coach pushed back on a claim from Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken, who said Kiffin had called him about undrafted tight end Dae'Quan Wright and that he simply didn’t answer. Wright was waived by the Browns on Monday, and if he clears waivers, he could become the first player to return to college after reportedly having an agreement to join Kiffin at LSU.
Kiffin said that version of events doesn’t line up with what he knows. He said he doesn’t know Monken and never placed the call, while leaving open the possibility that someone else used his name.
"There's some inaccuracies in that story, but I don't know," Kiffin said. "Maybe someone else called him that said they were me.
I actually don't know Todd... I don't know him or have his number."
Wright isn’t the only former Ole Miss player headed to LSU. The Tigers also picked up a commitment Monday from defensive tackle Zxavian Harris, who had been waived earlier this month by the New Orleans Saints.
There are still complications ahead for both players. SEC rules bar players from transferring within the conference outside the January primary transfer window, and while commissioner Greg Sankey has urged schools to follow the league’s eligibility rules, neither he nor the conference has publicly weighed in on either case. Wright has not yet cleared waivers.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel noted that the players’ legal teams could argue they were leaving their NFL teams, not Ole Miss, in order to join LSU.
In Other News...
Former Ole Miss Leader Nears LSU Move After Kiffin Tension
Zxavian Harris is on the verge of a college football return that would send him back into the SEC spotlight, this time with LSU. The former Ole Miss defensive lineman, recently waived by the New Orleans Saints, is expected to land with the Tigers under a new Louisiana ruling that gives certain athletes a fifth year of eligibility, a move that could quickly reshape LSUs defensive front.
For Ole Miss fans, Harriss next stop carries an extra edge because of the history attached to his name and his past tensions with LSU coach Lane Kiffin. LSU has needed help up front after entering the year with limited returning experience and a heavy reliance on freshmen, so Harris would give the Tigers an immediate veteran presence while adding another chapter to a rivalry connection that already has plenty of familiarity. [Read more 🡒]
Tah'j Butler Brings More Than Talent To Ole Miss Defense
Tahj Butler arrives in Oxford with the kind of background Ole Miss coaches were looking to add, bringing a linebackers frame and a transfers urgency to a defense that has been reworked through the portal. The former Georgia Tech defender is expected to play a major role in the Rebels plans this fall, and his addition comes as the staff continues to stock the linebacker room with more experience and depth before the season opener.
Butlers path to Ole Miss was shaped by more than football, with his late friend Corey Adams weighing heavily in his thinking and the coaching connection helping smooth the move. For a program trying to build both production and stability on that side of the ball, his arrival adds another layer to a transfer class that already has the Rebels feeling better about the middle of their defense. [Read more 🡒]
Another Former Ole Miss Contributor Is Adding Fuel To The LSU Fallout
Defensive tackle Zxavian Harris is the latest former Ole Miss contributor to surface in LSUs orbit, a move that adds another layer to the lingering fallout from Lane Kiffins departure. Harris, who was cut by the New Orleans Saints before becoming eligible to return to college football through a court order, had already made his feelings known publicly about Kiffin leaving Oxford, so his next stop naturally carries extra intrigue for Rebels fans watching this rivalry from a distance.
His transfer also places him alongside several other former Ole Miss players who have headed to LSU following the 2025 season, a trend that has given the Tigers an unexpected connection to the Rebels roster churn. For Ole Miss, it is less about one individual switch than the broader symbolism of where some of its former pieces are landing, and Harris move only adds more fuel to a storyline that has not cooled off yet. [Read more 🡒]