LSU opens the 2026 season against Dabo Swinney's Clemson Tigers on Saturday night in Death Valley. It's the kind of high-profile matchup college football fans have been waiting months for — both to see how Lane Kiffin handles the pressure of his first game as LSU's head coach, and whether Swinney can prove doubters wrong after last season's disappointing 7-6 finish. But just ahead of the big game, LSU decided not to add tight end Dae'Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris — two former NFL players Kiffin had been fighting to make eligible — to the team's roster.
Joining "College GameDay" Saturday morning, Kiffin was asked about the decision. "Yeah, that wasn't easy," Kiffin said. "As much as I feel for the players and I believe that you fight for what you believe in, and I believe these kids have an opportunity to play just like all the other kids around the country that are winning court cases and being put on rosters — at the same time, I'm the head coach of LSU, and I had to make a decision that's for the big picture of LSU and the LSU football program.
With the uncertainties of what potentially could have come by adding them to the roster, and we couldn't get exact reasons or exactly what that would mean, we made the decision that's in the best interest of the team and the university." More news: West Virginia Legend Receives Rare Honor During Season Opener Kiffin and LSU have been under fire for the last couple of weeks over the push to add Wright and Harris, two ex-NFL players who'd gotten a fifth year of college eligibility. But the SEC doesn't allow schools to use former NFL players and even sued to block the move, though a court order temporarily allowed it. With the legal fight still unresolved, Kiffin ultimately decided to keep both players off LSU's roster for the season opener against Clemson.
However, ESPN's Pete Thamel noted that both players are already enrolled at the school and could still join the team later in the season. More news: Bill Belichick’s Son Faces Alarming Allegations in Bombshell UNC Investigation More news: NCAA Makes Final Decision on Punishment for Cincinnati Over Brendan Sorsby Kiffin is no stranger to controversy. Early in his career, he was fired by the Oakland Raiders after just over a year, then left Tennessee after only one season — an abrupt exit that angered fans so much it sparked riots on campus.
Just last year, he left Ole Miss for LSU right before the school's first-ever College Football Playoff appearance, and players publicly disputed his claim that the team wanted him to stay. His push to bring professional football players onto a college roster only adds to a long list of decisions that have rubbed many people the wrong way.
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