LSU Tigers Star DE Princewill Umanmielen Served Court Papers By Ole Miss

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Well, all bets are off the table in rivalry week now, as LSU Tigers star defensive end Princewill Umanmielen was reportedly served court papers on Tuesday, per ESPN's Pete Thamel. These papers were related to the ongoing NIL-based lawsuit that the Ole Miss Rebels currently have against him.

Umanmielen began his college career with the Nebraska Cornhuskers before transferring to the Rebels ahead of last season. With Lane Kiffin leaving for the Tigers, though, Umanmielen obviously followed him to Baton Rouge this season.

Because of the decision to leave, Ole Miss is seeking $550,000 in buyout money for his NIL contract, which he had already received. They are actually looking for nearly $1 million from two LSU players in total, adding the $400,000 they want from Tigers offensive lineman Devin Harper.

The timing of this decision points to this being an odd move of gamesmanship. Umanmielen has been the most dominant defensive end in the country so far this season, so they could be doing anything to get into his head before the matchup. It has supposedly been on the table for some time now, but exactly when it finally happened must certainly raise some eyebrows.

Some could see this as a major mistake, since Kiffin will likely try to channel his old boss, Nick Saban, using it as a motivational tool for Umanmielen. The defensive end needs no extra motivation to play hard, as he has been one of the more violent players in football with his approach already.

Now he'll enter the week with an even bigger focus on this opponent. It was already going to be a game that required a ton of mental effort from him, as the environment will not be any nicer to a returning player than it will be to the returning coach.

This game certainly didn't need any more storylines. There was already the entire Lane Kiffin saga, leaving the Rebels ahead of the College Football Playoff. That fanbase has been very vocal against him since it happened. The shenanigans revolving around the "former professional players" leading up to the season didn't help cool any flames, though that should now be resolved (or moot, as some might say).

All eyes will be on Oxford on Saturday night to see how this all finally plays out. The game kicks off at 6:30 pm local time over on ESPN.

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