LSU locks roster, ending fight to play Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris

The Lane Kiffin-SEC saga just took its biggest turn yet. Late Tuesday night, LSU completed its 105-man roster by adding cornerback Aidan Anding and defensive end Gabriel Reliford, according to ESPN, Yahoo Sports, On3 and The Athletic. That locks the roster for the rest of the season and, with it, closes the door on Wright and Harris, both of whom signed undrafted NFL free-agent deals this offseason before enrolling at LSU under Kiffin.

Pete Thamel

@PeteThamel

NEWS: LSU football is adding two players to the school’s roster, which will complete it at 105 players, per ESPN sources. This will lock LSU’s roster for the rest of the year, which will eliminate the program’s ability to add Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris.

This is the fight that's been building for weeks. A Louisiana state judge had actually granted Wright and Harris a preliminary injunction last week, clearing a path for LSU to add them despite the SEC's rule barring players who've signed pro contracts from returning to college ball. LSU had the legal cover to do it. It just didn't. Chris Low summed up the whiplash bluntly: "LSU and Lane Kiffin fought to add Wright and Harris. Looks like that fight is over."

The bigger stakes explain why LSU backed off. The SEC sued LSU, Kiffin, president Wade Rousse and athletic director Verge Ausberry in federal court, and on Tuesday amended that complaint to explicitly seek authority to terminate LSU's conference membership under Section 3.1.5 of the SEC's constitution. A federal judge in Birmingham is set to hear the league's request for a temporary restraining order Wednesday at 1 p.m. CT -- one day before SEC presidents meet to vote on whether to expel LSU outright.

Ross Dellenger

@RossDellenger

A federal judge will hear the SEC's arguments for a temporary restraining order against LSU at 1 p.m. Wednesday. The judge granting such a request may pave the way for the league's expulsion vote scheduled for Thursday.

Ross Dellenger

@RossDellenger

As well as the amended complaint, the SEC also requested a temporary restraining order against LSU to pave the way for it to expel the university from the conference in a vote scheduled for Thursday. Here's a portion of the TRO: t.co/JnmQd2QOiN

That vote needs two-thirds support -- 11 of 16 schools -- and Ross Dellenger has reported the presidents believe they already have the votes, with one SEC official telling him "the presidents are out for blood." The league's argument, laid out in its filing, is that Rousse and Ausberry have "no meaningful control" over Kiffin and the program. It's an extraordinary claim to make about a football coach in a lawsuit aimed at his own school's conference membership.

Not everyone in Louisiana is on board with the SEC's approach. Sen. Bill Cassidy called the league's handling of the situation "hypocrisy" that's unfair to the athletes involved, while Gov. Jeff Landry's response was simpler: "Ridiculous. Can we just play football?" Neither changes the fact that LSU, facing the threat of getting booted from the league that built its entire athletic department, chose not to test it.

Ross Dellenger

@RossDellenger

Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana) releases a statement to @YahooSports calling for the SEC to apply its rules consistently and describing the SEC's approach to the LSU situation as a “hypocrisy” that is unfair to student-athletes.

The roster lock doesn't end the legal fight, though. Attorney Ryan Downton, representing Wright and Harris, said the players are "reviewing legal options" now that LSU has moved on without them. And with Wednesday's TRO hearing and Thursday's expulsion vote both still on the calendar, LSU's roster decision might be the least dramatic thing that happens to this program in the next 48 hours.