Former Ole Miss and NFL players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris will not suit up for LSU in the team’s 2026-27 season opener versus Clemson.
LSU had until 24 hours before its matchup against its ACC foe to add the players to the roster, but did not do so, as the school and head coach Lane Kiffin, among others, remain in a legal battle with the SEC. LSU, however, is confident it can add the two former Ole Miss players, as well as former Denver Broncos defensive back Blake Cotton, to its 105-man roster later in the season as long as the players are enrolled at the university. A timeline has not been presented for when they could appear in a game for the Tigers.
Both Wright and Harris were granted injunctive relief against the NCAA and SEC on Thursday, allowing them to play for the Tigers against the wishes of college athletics’ governing body. However, the SEC has sued LSU in federal court, arguing that the conference has a right to enforce eligibility rules.
In August, all 16 SEC member institutions, including LSU, voted in favor of a rule that prohibits professional athletes from returning to the conference. LSU President Wade Rousse notably abstained from voting on the penalties attached to the rule, which include a head coach facing a half-season suspension and the school facing a fine equal to 50% of the operating budget of the sport involved in a rules violation.
Wright and Harris were at the center of this controversy, in part, because both signed contracts with NFL teams in the offseason. Wright went undrafted in April but signed a free agent deal with the Philadelphia Eagles before being claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Browns, for whom he dressed out and warmed up in an Aug. 22 preseason game. Harris, a Mississippi native, signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent and was waived Aug. 8 after spending time on the franchise’s non-football injury list. Both were involved in Ole Miss’ College Football Playoff run a season ago.
The two, among a litany of other athletes, have sought an extra year of eligibility after not initially panning out at the professional ranks. The players saw an opportunity to return to college after the NCAA adopted a new five-year eligibility model, which would have retroactively allowed players like Wright and Harris to forgo the NFL Draft and remain in college. Attorneys representing the players have maintained in court that the NCAA is enforcing its rules unfairly.
In the specific case of Wright and Harris, the two transferred to LSU from Ole Miss outside of the designated January portal window, and the SEC has emphasized its existing regulation prohibiting intraconference transfers outside of the allotted timeframe. The Louisiana court’s injunction granted to the players prohibits the SEC from enforcing its rule.
As for the federal lawsuit, in addition to its stance that it has unilateral authority to enforce its rules, the SEC contends that LSU and Kiffin deliberately recruited athletes under contracts with professional franchises to take action against the NCAA in pursuit of another college season. U.S. Judge Annemarie Axon of the Northern District of Alabama has been assigned to the federal case.
Leaders in multiple SEC states, including Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, and Oklahoma, have publicly backed the conference’s efforts to enforce its rules. In Mississippi, Gov. Tate Reeves has sparred with Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill over the process of pro players seeking to skirt league rules to get back on a college roster.
.@AGLizMurrill is one of my favorite people, but this is pure comedy.
Anybody that has EVER played under the lights in Tigah stadium, or at the Pistol Pete Assembly Center, or at Alex Box KNOWS there is no such thing as a “fair forum” or a “neutral decision maker” anywhere near… https://t.co/YtFqF1oQet
— Governor Tate Reeves (@tatereeves) September 4, 2026
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch has also weighed in, asserting that college sports exist solely for college athletes, not pros, and that she stands by policies that are in the best interest of Ole Miss and Mississippi State, the state’s two SEC programs. It’s worth noting that the Rebels are scheduled to host LSU on Sept. 19 and the Bulldogs will play the Tigers on Oct. 17.
“College athletics is for college players. Period. The University of Mississippi and Mississippi State University run two of the very best football programs in the country. I support their right to do what is necessary to protect the integrity of their programs and the integrity of the sport,” Fitch stated. “I support their right to promote the best interests of their student-athletes. As Mississippi’s Chief Legal Officer, I stand with Ole Miss and Mississippi State.”
No. 11 LSU plays Clemson on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ESPN’s College GameDay will be in Baton Rouge to preview the week one slate of games, which includes Mississippi State versus Louisiana Monroe and No. 9 Ole Miss versus Louisville, while highlighting the showdown in Tiger Stadium — one that is expected to draw millions of viewers.