LSU is reportedly moving to sign tight end Dae'Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris, two former Ole Miss standouts who spent this offseason in NFL camps before getting cut. Wright signed as an undrafted free agent with the Cleveland Browns; Harris caught on with the New Orleans Saints. Both were waived, and both are now on track to suit up for Lane Kiffin instead.
The move only works because a Louisiana state court issued an order allowing former pro players to return to college football, and the SEC has told plaintiff attorneys it will comply. That's despite the conference having a rule on the books banning exactly this — signing players who'd previously inked NFL, NBA, G League or WNBA contracts — with penalties that include half-season coach suspensions and fines up to 50% of a program's annual athletic budget. A Baton Rouge judge enjoined that SEC rule, and a preliminary injunction hearing is reportedly set for this week, just two days before LSU opens the season hosting Clemson in Kiffin's debut.
It's a strange enough situation that it led off Wake Up Barstool, where Dave Portnoy didn't hold back on who he thinks created this mess.
It’s ridiculous we have NFL players returning to play College Football, but the NCAA has created this issue themselves
Portnoy's not wrong that the eligibility rules are a mess right now — this whole scenario exists because of overlapping court rulings, a five-years-to-play-five-seasons policy the NCAA adopted this summer, and now a state judge stepping in to override conference bylaws. Wright and Harris both got extra eligibility tied to that broader legal fight, and once the door opened, Kiffin didn't hesitate to walk through it. His logic, as he's put it, is blunt: those players are going to play football somewhere in 2026, so it might as well be for him.
There's also an NFL wrinkle here worth knowing: once a player like Wright or Harris returns to college for the 2026 season, they're barred from signing with an NFL team again until that season is over. So this isn't a side gig — it's a real bet that college snaps now beat sitting on an NFL practice squad.
Whether LSU actually gets to keep these guys long-term depends on that injunction hearing and whatever the SEC decides to do next, but for now the Tigers look like they'll have both players available for the Clemson opener. Portnoy's take was pretty simple on the second clip, too.
“It fits with LSU” -Dave
Texas and Kentucky are reportedly chasing similar court protections to add their own former pros, so this isn't just an LSU story — it's a preview of how messy college football eligibility is about to get if this loophole holds up in court.