LSU learns fate after SEC chiefs met amid threats to EXPEL the Tigers over former NFL players eligibility feud
LSU has escaped SEC exile despite the controversy surrounding its attempt to add former NFL players to its roster.
SEC leaders and commissioner Greg Sankey met on Thursday to discuss the possibility of expelling LSU over Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin’s effort to add former NFL players Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris to the roster.
Both Wright and Harris played for Kiffin at Ole Miss last season before signing with NFL teams as undrafted free agents, only to enroll at LSU this summer in an unprecedented attempt to return to college football.
However, despite initially planning to vote on expelling LSU, the conference backed off its threats after Kiffin failed to roster either Wright or Harris earlier this week.
‘The presidents and chancellors of the Southeastern Conference met Thursday by videoconference to discuss recent matters involving conference expectations and responsibilities,’ the SEC said in a statement.
‘Those discussions will continue as the conference and its member universities work toward an appropriate resolution.’
LSU has escaped SEC exile despite the controversy surrounding its roster attempts
The Tigers, who won their Week 1 matchup, have faced backlash in recent weeks
The Tigers officially had only 103 players on their 105-man roster for their Week 1 blowout win over visiting Clemson as Kiffin opted to hold off on the decision to add Wright or Harris amid a legal battle with SEC rivals.
The SEC filed an amendment to the federal lawsuit it filed against the school in Alabama last Thursday and has ‘scheduled a meeting on Thursday to decide whether to terminate LSU as an SEC member institution.’
SEC rules state a vote of at least two-thirds of all presidents would have been required to terminate a school’s membership.
The amended complaint alleged that Kiffin’s comments ‘stand in sharp contrast to the silence by the President and Athletic Director of LSU’ and ‘confirm the lack of institutional control over the athletics program at LSU that is required by Article 6 of the SEC Constitution and by the remaining provisions of the Constitution and Bylaws.’
A Louisiana judge last week issued a preliminary injunction against the NCAA that paved the way for LSU to include former NFL players on its roster.
SEC leaders and commissioner Greg Sankey (pictured) met on Thursday to discuss the possibility of kicking LSU out of the league over Lane Kiffin’s effort to add ex-NFL players
Zxavian Harris suited up for the New Orleans Saints in NFL preseason but is heading to LSU
Dae’Quan Wright was with the Cleveland Browns in preseason before clearing waivers
East Baton Rouge Parish Judge William Jorden issued his ruling the night before LSU was due to submit its 105-man roster to the SEC. They declined to name Harris, a former New Orleans Saints defensive lineman, and Wright, a former Cleveland Browns tight end, on the initial roster.
However, as first reported by ESPN on Tuesday night, LSU has added two other players, cornerback Aidan Anding and defensive end Gabriel Reliford, thereby ending any chance Wright or Harris had of playing for the Tigers in 2026.
Therefore, LSU president Wade Rousse called the point ‘moot’ in a letter to SEC commissioner Sankey on Wednesday as the school is in line with conference rules by not rostering them.
‘The roster is now locked for the season,’ Rousse said. ‘LSU complied with SEC rules. This issue is moot.’
