Kickoff approaches for LSU but answers on eligibility chaos remain elusive

As the season's opening kickoff drew ever closer Friday, attorneys at LSU and the Southeastern Conference studied next moves in a spiraling eligibility crisis that boils down to a question that once seemed simple but isn't anymore: Should players who have been on pro rosters be able to play college sports?

On one side of this increasingly Kafkaesque battle is LSU, which has been practicing with two players — Zxavian Harris and Dae'Quan Wright — who spent time in NFL training camps this summer. The school needs to decide whether to place them on their official roster by Friday night's deadline ahead of its season opener against Clemson scheduled for Saturday night.

On the other is the SEC, which along with all the major football conferences and the NCAA, has forbidden former pros from returning to college in what they say is a basic principle that defines college sports.

But the SEC and NCAA have lost a battle in a Louisiana court that ruled the players can play. They are waiting for word from a federal court in Alabama, which had not made any rulings as Friday evening approached in the lawsuit the SEC filed a day earlier against LSU.

"It's court, it's a battle, you never know what a judge will do," said Wright, a tight end who spent a short time with the Eagles and Browns this summer, standing outside the courtroom after receiving the favorable ruling Thursday night. "But I still have faith in these guys, and these lawyers. They won, and I'm proud of that, and I appreciate that."

Should LSU coach Lane Kiffin place either player on the roster, it would likely force some sort of decision from the SEC, which in its lawsuit hoping to halt the roster moves cited "public reporting indicat(ing) that LSU and Defendant Kiffin recruited ... professional athletes to play football at LSU even though they would not be eligible."

Under rules passed last week that the Louisiana court shot down, the SEC could suspend Kiffin, fine LSU half its football budget and more if it puts Wright and Harris on the roster.

The case stems from a new NCAA rule that granted five seasons of eligibility for players who started college in 2023. Wright, Harris and dozens of others across the country who started in 2022 have filed lawsuits saying they also deserve that fifth year.

Embedded within that argument is whether players among that Class of '22 who tried out for NFL, NBA or WNBA teams should be able to come back to college and play.

"The SEC's presidents and chancellors unanimously adopted a clear and reasonable standard: Member universities should not place former professional athletes on their rosters," the conference said in a statement after Thursday night's ruling.

In its own statement Friday, LSU said it was reviewing the court's order and would "continue to work constructively with the SEC and NCAA as this matter moves forward."

"College football does not deserve this kind of ambiguity in eligibility standards," the statement said, while also offering a shoutout to a bill in the Senate that could clear up this kind of confusion.

Also chiming in was the College Football Playoff, which came out in support of the rules barring former pros from the college gridiron — not a surprising stance, considering virtually all of CFP management is made up of the same school leaders who adopted the rules.

Meanwhile, kickoff is set for Saturday at 6:30 p.m. local time in Baton Rouge, Yahoo Sports reported that Clemson lawyers sent a letter to their LSU counterparts suggesting eligibility issues could undermine the contract between the teams to play. Clemson still plans to show up, though its coach, Dabo Swinney, left little doubt over his feelings earlier in the week.

"I would just say it's kind of embarrassing," he said. "I mean, honestly, it's just embarrassing that that's where we are. I don't blame the kids and people trying to take advantage of the system. I just think it's embarrassing where we are with college football."

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