08/31/26 02:31:00
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08/31 14:28 CDT No. 11 LSU enters game week vs. Clemson with an ex-NFL player
practicing and maybe more to come
No. 11 LSU enters game week vs. Clemson with an ex-NFL player practicing and
maybe more to come
By BRETT MARTEL
AP Sports Writer
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) --- Former Cleveland Browns tight end Dae'Quan Wright
participated in a walk-through practice conducted by first-year LSU coach Lane
Kiffin on Monday as the 11th-ranked Tigers prepared for Saturday night's season
opener against Clemson.
Whether Wright or a couple other players who spent part of this offseason with
NFL clubs --- defensive lineman Zxavian Harris and defensive back Blake Cotton
---- ever suit up for LSU remains in doubt because of litigation. The
Southeastern Conference last week passed a rule barring pro players from
returning to the league and it was promptly put on hold by a Texas judge.
Kiffin wasn't about to allow any kind of criticism stop him from embracing the
opportunity to bring in players like Wright, who played for him at Mississippi
last season.
"I feel like my decisions should always be made in the best interest of the
players that sit in this team room and not for my reputation, and how my
decisions play in national media and other fan bases. I've never been that way
and that could be wrong," he said.
Kiffin said that if college players are being paid like professionals, he is
willing to make the case that college teams should not hesitate to sieze
opportunities to make late roster additions in much the same way NFL teams do.
He also said he met with LSU team leaders about whether to welcome recent pros
back to college just days before a season-opener.
"Every one of them was emphatic about, ?If they can help us win, bring 'em,'"
Kiffin said. "That made me feel a little better."
"This is how it works at the next level," Kiffin added. "This is how the real
world works."
Kiffin said the SEC knows that Wright --- as star tight end for Kiffin at Ole
Miss last season --- had joined LSU at least for practice. His first day on the
field was Monday, meaning he would not be permitted to play against Clemson
under the NCAA's mandated seven-day "aclimitization protocol."
However, former Notre Dame defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka, who did not
sign with an NFL team but is nonetheless suing for a fifth year of NCAA
eligibility, started practicing earlier.
Defensive end Jack Pyburn, who spent training camp with the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers after playing for LSU last season, was among the players suing the
NCAA and was expected to come back to the Tigers after he was cut. Instead, he
was claimed off of waivers on Monday by the Kansas City Chiefs.
Nearly 400 athletes have sued the NCAA and other defendants, seeking additional
eligibility and claiming the organization's 5-in-5 rule approved in June is
unfair because it excludes members of the high school Class of 2022. More than
30 lawsuits, several of them in federal court, are in different stages of
litigation. Some include a handful athletes who signed professional contracts,
which prompted every Power Four conference to ban pros from returning to
college -- leading to even more court filings.
A hearing in one of those closely watched lawsuits is scheduled for Thursday in
Baton Rouge.
"We'll wait until this week to see if there's any more guidance" from the
courts, Kiffin said.
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