Brian Kelly weighs in on Lane Kiffin's pursuit of NFL players

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LSU football made headlines for weeks about signing former NFL players to its roster and much of the blame fell on head coach Lane Kiffin. His predecessor, Brian Kelly, discussed the situation on a SiriusXM College Sports Radio talk show on Tuesday.

"I think Lane is the perfect guy for this," Kelly said. "And he’s shown that he can orchestrate it. It’s a bigger picture than what he was doing at Ole Miss. It’s bigger than Florida Atlantic. And that will be the proof, right? You gotta win football games at the end of the day.”

Kiffin signed the top transfer portal class and multiple 2026 five-star prospects in the spring. But gaining several playmakers, new and returning from 2025, didn't stop him from pushing the envelope. The Tigers are looking to add tight end Dae'Quan Wright and defensive lineman Zxavian Harris, both of whom were cut from NFL teams as first-year pros.

The courts have yet to officially respond to NCAA and SEC rules prohibiting this class of NFL rookies from returning to college. LSU isn't the only school in the market, but it made the most noise. Kelly, who was fired mid-season last year, speculated on the news's effect on Kiffin and the LSU locker room.

"I think the way Lane operates on a day-to-day basis, I don’t think that infiltrates what the players are doing and how they’re preparing,” Kelly said. “Now, if you lose, it’s a distraction. And then that becomes a bigger distraction that you have to handle."

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Brian Kelly weighs in on Lane Kiffin's pursuit of NFL players

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