Lane Kiffin Proves an LSU Tiger Can't Change Its Stripes

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Earlier this month, Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels became the butt of the joke after his representatives sent a cease and desist letter to Louisiana State University.

Daniels did not want the team using his name, likeness or image as promotional material anymore after they gave his former number ¨5¨ to a second-year defensive back on the team.

Daniels won a Heisman Trophy in his one season at LSU. He is one of only three players in the school’s 166-year history to win that award. And his head coach, Brian Kelly, apparently promised Daniels and his family that the number would not be available for some undisclosed amount of time after his departure.

Unfortunately for Daniels, Kelly was fired last season, and Lane Kiffin was given the job. So just two years after his departure, the number is back in rotation while Joe Burrow, another LSU Heisman winner, still has his number unofficially retired at the school.

The majority of the sports world sided with LSU in the conflict, after all, there are a finite amount of numbers, Daniels was only at the school for one season, and the person who promised him the exclusivity was no longer with the program.

But Kelly wasn’t the only person who made the promise. As the head coach of the program, Kelly also represented the university. So, in essence, LSU made the promise to Daniels.

But neither LSU nor Kelly was responsible for breaking that promise. Lane Kiffin was. And anyone who knows anything about Lane Kiffin knows how problematic he has been at nearly every stop he has been in his coaching journey. Yet somehow, during the Daniels’ pile-on, Kiffin has escaped any scrutiny.

But a tiger can’t change its stripes, even at LSU, and it was only a matter of time before Lane Kiffin reminded the college football world of exactly the type of leader he is.

Lane Kiffin recruits players from the NFL

College football is in a weird place.

On the one hand, the sport has never been more popular than it is right now. It is officially the country’s second-most popular sport behind the NFL.

But, on the other hand, it is literally fighting for its life as NFL players who don’t make their team rosters attempt to renew their college eligibility.

While coaches and conferences around the country are mobilizing against this move, Lane Kiffin has recruited two of his former players who signed contracts with NFL teams as undrafted free agents this offseason.

Related: Big Ten Makes Right Decision on NFL Players Returning To College

Former Ole Miss defensive lineman Zxavian Harris signed with the New Orleans Saints before being waived earlier this month. He is expected to join LSU. The Tigers have also reportedly come to an agreement with former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright after he was waived by the Cleveland Browns.

Both players will turn 23 during the season, and both were just on NFL rosters a couple of weeks ago.

Kiffin plan faces obstacles

Unlike Lane Kiffin, the powers that be in college football seem to understand the crisis that would ensue if they allowed NFL players to come back to college to play.

College football is already on the razor’s edge of no longer being for amateurs yearning to go pro, and well on its way to becoming a minor league for the NFL. With NIL deals and agents and the transfer portal and extended eligibility, CFB barely resembles anything it has ever looked like before in its 157-year history.

But allowing players who have officially turned pro to come back with college eligibility would be the tipping point, so CFB’s decision-makers are getting involved.

This week, the SEC voted to ban signing former professional athletes from returning to college football, while imposing harsh penalties against schools that violate the rules.

If a school like LSU played former NFLers, the SEC would suspend the coach for half the season, dock the school 50% of its CFB annual operating budget, and revoke the school’s voting privileges in some matters.

The SEC’s member schools voted unanimously for the rules, except LSU, which abstained.

“College athletes, not former professional athletes, have been at the heart of the Southeastern Conference,” the SEC’s statement read on Aug. 25. “Individuals who choose to leave college athletics, sign professional playing contracts, and compete professionally should not then be permitted to return to college competition.

“Allowing that to occur will blur the line between college and professional sports, create significant competitive equity concerns, and reduce opportunities for high school and current college athletes.”

Kiffin doesn’t care

Lane Kiffin recently told Pat McAfee that he doesn’t like the idea of NFL players returning to college, but he’ll make an exception for his two former recruits.

“There’s a lot of parts of this I don’t like,” Kiffin said. “I don’t think professionals should come back to college sports and college football. But in this instance, these are not players who have gone on to play seasons professionally or randomly filed an injunction.¨

In other words, he doesn’t like the practice unless he can benefit from it.

One thing you can say about Kiffin is that he is all about winning at any cost. While that character trait has propelled him to be one of the best college football coaches, it has also figuratively caused (OK, sometimes literally) the burning down of colleges where he coaches.

Whether it’s Ole Miss, or Tennessee, or USC, you could argue Kiffin never leaves a program in better shape than he found it.

LSU better hope he works out for them. They were willing to ostracize Jayden Daniels for Lane Kiffin’s sake, when Kiffin’s track record suggests loyalty to himself.

This story was originally published by Lindys Sports on Aug 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Lindys Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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