LSU left former NFL players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris off its season-opening roster for a Saturday night matchup against Clemson. The move avoids an immediate confrontation with the Southeastern Conference, which banned former professionals from rosters before a Louisiana court temporarily put that rule on hold.
LSU chose not to add Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris to its active squad before the Friday night deadline, leaving two open spots on a 103-player roster for the season opener against Clemson. Pete Thabol of ESPN reported that despite an injunction allowing LSU to add the players, the school opted against it before the Friday night deadline. While a Louisiana court injunction granted the players eligibility to join the team, the university opted to hold off on immediate roster additions. Thamel adds that the two players could be added later in the season.
The SEC Rule Clash and Legal Battles
The roster decision highlights a broader, high-stakes dispute across college athletics regarding player eligibility. The conflict stems from a Southeastern Conference rule prohibiting former professional athletes from competing on member rosters. That policy was challenged in court after the NCAA granted five seasons of eligibility to players who started their college careers in 2023. The roster decision marked the latest move in a bizarre, wide-ranging disagreement over something most people used to agree on: that players who had moved on to pro sports from college could not return to college.
Wright, Harris, and dozens of other athletes who started in 2022 have filed lawsuits arguing they also deserve a fifth year of eligibility. Both Wright and Harris spent time in NFL training camps during the summer, drawing scrutiny over whether players who participated in professional camps should retain college eligibility. Both players have said they are enrolled at LSU, which means they could be eligible to be added to the roster later.
“The SEC’s presidents and chancellors unanimously adopted a clear and reasonable standard: Member universities should not place former professional athletes on their rosters,”
Southeastern Conference
Under the emergency rules passed by the league, the conference could suspend coach Lane Kiffin, fine LSU half its football budget, and more if it puts Wright and Harris on the roster.
Institutional Pressures and Statements from LSU and Clemson
Clemson general counsel Chip Hood sent a letter to his LSU counterpart on Friday suggesting that the eligibility issue is in conflict with the contract between the teams to play. Clemson still plans to show up, though its coach left little doubt over his feelings earlier in the week.
“I would just say it’s kind of embarrassing, I mean, honestly, it’s just embarrassing that that’s where we are. I don’t blame the kids and people trying to take advantage of the system. I just think it’s embarrassing where we are with college football.”
Dabo Swinney, Clemson Coach
Also chiming in was the College Football Playoff, which came out in support of the rules barring former pros from the college gridiron. LSU president Wade Rousse issued a statement on Friday indicating that the school was reviewing the court’s order and would continue to work constructively with the SEC and NCAA as this matter moves forward. The outcome was lurking between the lines of the statement issued on Friday by LSU president Wade Rousse, and while coach Lane Kiffin may have wanted to shout damn the torpedoes,
Rousse apparently realized that the situation could sink the school’s future in the SEC.
Ongoing Litigation and Future Roster Implications
Although both players are currently enrolled at LSU, leaving them off the opening-day roster averted an immediate disciplinary clash with the conference. Legal action is ongoing, with the SEC planning an appeal of the Louisiana ruling and also awaiting word on a federal lawsuit it filed Thursday asking the court to force LSU into following its rules banning pro athletes. Legal proceedings remain active as correspondent Dave Ferry reports the SEC has become the second major conference to bar players from playing college ball after joining pro teams.
Because the roster currently sits at 103 players with two open slots reserved, the two players could still be added later in the season depending on how the ongoing federal and state court challenges unfold.
