CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson football might have to compete against former NFL players Saturday.
A Louisiana judge affirmed Thursday that two of LSU football’s late roster additions are eligible to play for the team this year despite signing NFL rookie contracts and suiting up for preseason games in August, per reports from ESPN and other outlets.
Baton Rouge judge William Jorden said in ruling late Thursday that the SEC couldn’t enforce its “no pro players” rule against former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive lineman Zxavian Harris and dozens of other athletes. Wright and Harris have both committed to play for Lane Kiffin, their former coach, at LSU.
The NCAA and the SEC are legally barred from taking any “actions that negatively impact” the athletes in the case, per ESPN’s Dan Murphy.
The ruling clears the way for LSU and Kiffin to formally add Wright and Harris to their 105-man roster before Saturday’s season opener versus Clemson (7:30 p.m., ABC).
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It’s unclear whether either player will actually get snaps against Clemson in Week 1, though, because the NCAA has a roughly weeklong “acclimatization” period, which football players are required to go through before competing in a game.
LSU must also consider that the SEC could issue severe retroactive penalties on its program if it plays Wright and Harris, including half-season suspensions for coaches, reductions in operating budgets and loss of SEC voting privileges.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel framed that decision as a “seismic” one for LSU.
So, will Clemson face Wright or Harris on Saturday? It’s to be determined.
For what it’s worth, both players told ESPN’s Thamel on Thursday that they anticipate being added to LSU’s roster on Friday.
Wright said he expects to play against Clemson, too.
Background on Louisiana court ruling for pro athletes
Wright, Harris and Notre Dame edge rusher Junior Tuihalamaka were among the plaintiffs granted a fifth year of eligibility by the judge in August.
All three players are Class of 2022 athletes who could have pursued a fifth year of eligibility but didn’t get an opportunity. The NCAA didn’t roll out its new “5 for 5” eligibility model until the summer and said former athletes wouldn’t be grandfathered into the policy change, triggering dozens of lawsuits.
While Tuihalamaka never signed an NFL contract, Wright and Harris both signed undrafted rookie contracts and were on NFL preseason rosters as recently as August.
Wright, Harris and Tuihalamaka all committed to LSU after winning a fifth year of eligibility. Wright and Tuihalamaka were at practice this week, Kiffin said.
Thursday’s hearing was held in the 19th Judicial District Court in the parish of East Baton Rouge near LSU’s campus. It focused on whether the SEC could enforce its “no pro players on rosters” rule against the plaintiffs in the case, who’d previously been granted an injunction stating the NCAA couldn’t enforce its rules against them.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey (whose conference also sued LSU and Kiffin on Thursday) attended the hearing and testified for roughly three hours, per reports.
Kiffin previously said the deadline for SEC teams to submit their 105-man rosters to the league office is the day before their first game. For LSU, which hosts Clemson at Tiger Stadium on Saturday night, that deadline is Friday.
