LSU leaves former pro-athletes off final roster, one night before SEC takes Lane Kiffin and Tigers to court
LSU Finalizes Roster Before SEC Seeks Temporary Restraining Order
In the days after a 51‑10 victory over Clemson, Louisiana State University announced the final roster for its 2024 football season. The Tigers added Gabriel Reliford and Aidan Anding, filling the 105‑player limit, but deliberately left off former Ole Miss athletes Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris. The decision comes amid a high‑profile legal dispute involving the team, its coach and the governing body of college sports.
A roster decision tied to a lawsuit
Wright and Harris—both of whom had declared for the NFL draft—filed complaints in the federal court that led to a 12‑hour hearing in Baton Rouge. The suits were amended to name the Southern Conference (SEC) as a defendant, and a judge granted the players an injunction that barred LSU from adding them to the roster. The injunction was issued a week ago, and LSU complied, releasing a roster that excluded the two former Rebels.
“We established our First Amendment right for freedom of association, so that our conference can make decisions and our members can make decisions about membership,” SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey said during the hearing. “The SEC and its member universities have the right to establish, through agreed‑upon governance procedures, the rules under which they voluntarily compete and to expect those rules to be followed.”
SEC’s next move
On Thursday, the SEC filed a request for a temporary restraining order in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. The order would allow the conference to enforce its rules on the return of pro‑athletes to college competition and would protect the SEC’s ability to govern. A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday in Birmingham.
In its filing, the SEC accused LSU of “lack of institutional control.” It specifically pointed to LSU President Wade Rousse and Athletic Director Verge Ausberry, stating that the university had “no meaningful control over Defendant Kiffin or the football program.” The SEC also named Coach Lane Kiffin and other members of the Tigers’ athletic department as defendants.
“We are protecting the right of the Conference and its member institutions to govern themselves,” the SEC’s statement read. “This filing is necessary to defend that right and preserve the Conference’s ability to govern competition among its members.”
Coach Kiffin speaks
In an early‑morning interview after the Clemson win, Kiffin explained the roster decision. “I’m just glad we played the way we did,” he said. “My job is not to please you and worry about what you’re going to write. My job is what I believe is right, and I believe we were fighting for what was right for those kids. I’m not going to get into all the reasons, but that’s what I believe. Maybe people don’t like that, but they don’t understand that.”
Kiffin also referenced his relationship with Dae’Quan Wright, noting that Wright had once spoken at Ole Miss, encouraging Kiffin to lead the team through its CFP run.
The broader context
The lawsuit is part of a larger legal battle over the eligibility of professional athletes returning to NCAA play. A recent court order said that pro athletes could play in college, but the SEC and the Big Ten have vowed to contest the decision. The current case centers on whether LSU, and by extension the SEC, can enforce rules that restrict pro athletes’ return to collegiate competition.
With the injunction still in force, neither Wright nor Harris has been added to LSU’s roster, and the conference’s request for a temporary restraining order remains pending. The outcome of the Wednesday hearing will determine whether the SEC can compel LSU to comply with its rules or if the university will be free to enforce its own policies.
LSU’s roster, now complete, will face its next opponent with a team that reflects both the university’s commitment to its regulations and the complexities of modern college athletics’ legal landscape.
