LSU wins court ruling in eligibility fight with SEC, clearing way for return of former NFL players
With its preliminary injunction against the conference, LSU can continue the process of bringing two former NFL players (tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive lineman Zxavian Harris) back to the college ranks without the SEC enforcing its ban on former professional athletes.
The SEC issued a statement and is not giving up.
In courts across the country, including Louisiana, athletes in the class of 2022 obtained temporary restraining orders against the NCAA to gain an additional year of eligibility. When the SEC voted unanimously to pass their own ban over former professional athletes, attorneys for the affected athletes added the SEC and Greg Sankey to those lawsuits, leading to Thursday’s hearing.
Just because LSU won this latest battle doesn’t mean the fight is over. On Wednesday, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr asked SEC member institutions to take matters into their own hands if the Tigers allow former professional athletes to play. Carr said the conference should use “all available measures”, including suspension or expulsion.
Sources told CBS Sports’ John Talty that other SEC schools have mulled legal challenge in federal court and possible loss of games. In a statement to CBS Sports, the conference said it will comply with the order as it continues to fight to enforce its rules.
“The order entered against the SEC and Commissioner Sankey is a temporary restraining order, not a final ruling on the merits,” the SEC said. “The SEC and Commissioner Sankey are prepared to challenge the allegations in the plaintiffs’ petition at Thursday morning’s hearing and defend the SEC’s rights as a voluntary association to fulfill its mission to its member institutions.”
With the path to eligibility clear, at least for the moment, Wright and Harris can be added to LSU’s roster a little more than 48 hours before Saturday’s matchup against Clemson in Baton Rouge.
What will Wright and Harris bring to LSU?
Regardless of how you feel about allowing former NFL players to return to college, the reality is that it’s about to happen. So we can also look at what Wright and Harris can offer the Tigers this fall.
In Wright’s case, he joins a tight end room already occupied by athletics fan Trey’Dez Green, but that doesn’t mean the former Ole Miss standout will have to play a supporting role. According to 247Sports, Wright posted a 74 percent route running percentage while averaging 9.9 yards per route, which is three yards more than the SEC average.
That means Wright will be another weapon for Sam Leavitt in LSU’s passing game, and it will free up Kiffin to be more creative on offense. More two-tight end sets are now a very real possibility for the Tigers.
For much of the offseason, the interior defensive line was a big question mark for the Tigers. They are set to feature a pair of true freshmen, Deuce Geralds and Richard Anderson, in that position.
Geralds and Anderson are tremendous talents, but they lack college experience and Harris solves that problem. With his 6-foot-8, 330-pound frame, Harris can serve as a cement pillar in the middle of the line, and he played 66% of the defensive snaps with a total of nine tackles for loss and three sacks for the Rebels last year.
Will Kiffin continue adding players?
Will this ruling open the door to more last-minute additions for LSU? Kiffin can also make hay while the sun shines.
Former Utah cornerback Blake Cotton recently obtained a temporary restraining order and “intends to seek a roster spot at a DI college in Louisiana,” according to The Advocate. You don’t have to be a private investigator to determine which university it might be.
Prior to the 2025 season, Cotton transferred from UC Davis to Utah and started eight games for the Utes. He started eight games and tallied 30 tackles, two tackles for loss and seven passes defensed.
Cotton signed an NFL contract with the Denver Broncos in the offseason, which meant he would have been ineligible under the SEC’s ban on former professional athletes. Now, Cotton is free to join an SEC team and should provide reliable depth in the secondary.
