Ole Miss has filed a lawsuit against former players Devin Harper and Princewill Umanmielen of LSU, claiming they owe $950,000 in breach-of-contract penalties for leaving the team following head coach Lane Kiffin’s departure. Recently, Umanmielen was served with legal papers outside LSU’s football facility, escalating tensions ahead of an upcoming game between the two schools. Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry criticized Ole Miss on social media for serving the lawsuit papers so close to the match. The dispute adds a new layer of drama to an already intense rivalry matchup scheduled for Saturday.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Princewill Umanmielen, a defensive end for LSU, was served with legal papers related to Ole Miss' lawsuit against him outside LSU’s football facility on Tuesday. The suit seeks close to $1 million from Umanmielen and fellow former player Devin Harper, who now plays for LSU. Specifically, the lawsuit demands $550,000 from Umanmielen and $400,000 from Harper in unpaid buyouts along with legal fees and court costs. This development comes days before Saturday's game between No. 8 Ole Miss and No. 7 LSU, adding tension to the already heated rivalry. The lawsuit stems from both players' transfers after former coach Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU at the end of the 2025 season.
Written for “LSU Ole Miss Lawsuit” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
This article does not take a side on a contested political
question, so it has no leaning score. That is an
answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
or critically written without being left or right, and scoring it
anyway is how approval of a subject gets recorded as a political
position.
No political leaning scored for article 14555 · logged 2026-09-17
The upcoming showdown between LSU and Ole Miss already carried plenty of tension.
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showdown → carry → tension
On Tuesday afternoon, however, the rivalry received another jolt outside LSU’s football facility.
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rivalry → receive → facility
In a lawsuit filed this past July, the Ole Miss athletic department is currently suing former players, and current LSU Tigers, Devin Harper and Princewill Umanmielen, on charges of breach of contract tied to their exit from Oxford following the departure of head coach Lane Kiffin.
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department → file → Kiffin
Both players ended up transferring to LSU this past offseason, which came after participating in the College Football Playoff with Ole Miss.
The school alleges in their lawsuit against the two players that they were both obligated to pay contract buyouts, which totaled $950,000 between the pair.
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which → end → pair
Ole Miss also alleges in its lawsuit that each player signed a new deal with the school in January, but bolted for the transfer portal once the season ended.
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season → allege → portal
Over the previous months leading up to the lawsuit being filed, Ole Miss officials say that they tried to reach a settlement with both athletes, with both athletes having a buyout clause in their contracts that are sometimes taken care of by the new school where players enroll.
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players → lead → school
LSU player served in parking lot of football facility, days before heated showdown
The dispute escalated Tuesday when Umanmielen was served legal papers related to the lawsuit in the parking lot of LSU’s football facility.
LSU officials reportedly declined to engage with Ole Miss’ attorneys, directing them to the athletes, who were responsible for their own contracts.
This led to disagreements as to whether the buyouts would be paid, and who would actually take care of the monetary penalties that came with them allegedly breaking their contracts.
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them → serve → contracts
In response to the athlete being served with legal papers, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry had plenty to say on social media regarding the move made by Ole Miss lawyers.
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Landry → serve → lawyers
"The process server found Princewill in the LSU Football Ops parking lot," Landry noted.
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Landry → find → lot
"Keith Carter (Ole Miss AD) could have saved Ole Miss some money and waited until Saturday.
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Carter → save → Saturday
He’ll be easy to find in the Ole Miss backfield often!"
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He → find → backfield
Any hope that the off-field drama would cool down before Saturday’s matchup has quickly disappeared.
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drama → cool → matchup
Umanmielen has now been served, while Harper is still awaiting legal papers.
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Harper → serve → papers
The development adds another storyline to an already highly anticipated game.
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development → add → game
Why the Rebels are suing both former players
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Rebels → sue → players
In July, when Ole Miss first filed its lawsuit against the players, the school pointed toward the agreements signed and their plans to see the athletes hold up their part of the deal.
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athletes → file → deal
"The University of Mississippi values its student-athletes and is committed to honoring all obligations made to them.
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University → value → them
In return, the university expects that same commitment from its student-athletes and their representatives in upholding their contracts," Ole Miss said in a statement after filing suit.
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Miss → expect → suit
"Before transferring to another institution, student-athletes Devin Harper and Princewill Umanmielen signed revenue sharing agreements that included a provision requiring them to compensate the university with a predetermined amount if they departed before fulfilling their commitment.
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they → transfer → commitment
The University of Mississippi has a responsibility to enforce its contractual terms, and this position is consistent with the actions of other institutions in the current landscape of college athletics."
The lawsuit and Tuesday’s process-serving incident have only intensified the animosity surrounding the LSU-Ole Miss rivalry.
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lawsuit → have → rivalry
With legal trouble, transfer drama and a major SEC matchup all colliding, Saturday’s game now has even more fuel behind it.
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game → collide → it
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