Two former NFL players, Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, have been left off the LSU football roster ahead of their season opener against Clemson. Wright, a tight end who spent time with the Eagles and Browns, and Harris, a defensive lineman who played for the Saints, were deemed eligible to play on Thursday night but were not added to the roster by Friday evening. The two players are part of a larger group suing for a fifth year of eligibility in college athletics, which has led to a dispute between LSU and the SEC over recruitment policies. LSU currently has 103 players on its finalized roster.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
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Leaning score +0.35 for article 4432 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-05
Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris scored a big legal win on Thursday night.
asserted
Wright → score → night
The two LSU football players — both of whom spent time with NFL teams this summer — were not added to the Tigers’ roster ahead of the season opener against Clemson, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported.
asserted
Thamel → spend → Clemson
LSU had until Friday night to make the decision about whether it would add Wright and Harris for Week 1.
asserted
it → have → Week
Thamel added that the players, who are enrolled in Baton Rouge, could still be added to the team later this season.
uncertain
who → add → team
LSU has 103 players on its finalized roster ahead of the game at Tiger Stadium.
asserted
LSU → have → Stadium
Wright and Harris, who did not appear in any preseason action, were both deemed eligible to play on Thursday night when East Baton Rouge Parish Judge William Jorden issued a preliminary injunction in their favor.
asserted
Jorden → appear → favor
Wright, a tight end who spent time in training camp with the Eagles and Browns, and Wright, a defensive lineman who was with the Saints earlier this summer, are among the 40-plus athletes who have sued to gain a fifth year of eligibility in college athletics.
asserted
who → spend → athletics
Before Jorden’s injunction, the SEC filed a lawsuit in Alabama against LSU, athletic director Verge Ausberry and head coach Lane Kiffin, alleging that they “waged a deliberate and coordinated campaign to recruit professional athletes.”
asserted
they → file → athletes
The SEC, in a statement after the injunction, said it disagreed with the ruling.
asserted
it → say → ruling
“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 wrote.
asserted
conference → adopt → rosters
“The Conference 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.”
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rules → have → which
Yahoo Sports reported on Friday that Clemson notified that LSU could be breaking “contractual obligations between the two parties” if it allowed the two former NFL players to suit up for the game.
uncertain
players → report → game
However, Clemson was still planning to play the game and was not seeking any legal avenues.
asserted
Clemson → plan → avenues
The Big Ten, ACC and Big 12 have joined the SEC in seeking to ban former NFL players from returning to college football.
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Ten → join → football
The Big 12 went a step further, saying it would bar any professional athletes from competing in any sport.
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it → go → sport
Wright and Harris both played at Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin, who is coaching his first game with LSU on Saturday.
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who → play → Saturday
Whether they play for him again at the college level remains to be seen.
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play → play → level
