LSU Excludes Players With NFL Experience From Season Opener Roster

Louisiana State University has omitted two players with recent National Football League experience from its active roster for Saturday’s season opener against Clemson, pausing an immediate confrontation with college sports governing bodies.

Tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris were cleared by a court ruling earlier in the week to rejoin college football. However, LSU head coach Lane Kiffin confirmed the program chose not to list them on the active squad ahead of the game in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Legal Injunction and League Resistance

Wright and Harris are among 42 athletes from various sports involved in a lawsuit filed in Louisiana against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The suit seeks a fifth year of college eligibility for players who briefly joined professional leagues.

On Thursday, Judge William Jorden granted a preliminary injunction barring the NCAA and the Southeastern Conference (SEC) from penalizing any university that fields athletes named in the suit. Despite the order, LSU could still face separate punitive measures from the SEC for listing players who signed NFL contracts.

Administrators at the NCAA, the SEC, and most member universities remain firmly opposed to former professional players returning to college competition. The SEC has filed its own lawsuit against LSU regarding the university’s intention to field former professional athletes.

Program Leadership and Legal Response

Speaking on television on Saturday, Kiffin said leaving the players off the roster “wasn’t easy” but stated the decision was made for the “big picture of LSU” amid legal and administrative uncertainties.

Ryan Downton, an attorney representing Wright and Harris, described LSU’s choice as a “measured decision” that maintains “a path for them to be added later.” Downton asked that parties “lower the temperature and look at the facts,” noting that neither player was selected in the NFL draft, made a regular-season roster, joined a practice squad, or played in a preseason game.

Player Backgrounds

Both players previously played under Kiffin at Ole Miss before moving to the NFL. Wright was waived by the Cleveland Browns in August after dressing for one preseason contest without entering the game. Harris was waived by the New Orleans Saints in July before deciding to transfer to LSU.

Neither player was expected to play on Saturday regardless of roster status. Harris had not taken part in team practices, while Wright had participated in two sessions. LSU has left open the option to add both athletes to the roster later in the season as legal proceedings develop.

Background

College athletics in the United States has long prohibited athletes who sign professional contracts or enter professional drafts from returning to collegiate competition. However, recent legal challenges to NCAA authority have overturned numerous eligibility restrictions, allowing student-athletes to challenge governing regulations in state and federal courts.