Ole Miss files lawsuits against two former players in Mississippi

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Ole Miss added another chapter to the ongoing saga that has been the offseason of 2026 between themselves and LSU, as reports came out yesterday that the school is filing a lawsuit against two former players who are now currently enrolled at LSU.

Princewill Umanmielen and Devin Harper are the players being sued in the state of Mississippi. Harper and Umanmielen signed revenue-sharing agreements with Ole Miss on January 6, fresh off a win in the Sugar Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinal, a game they would eventually lose to Miami.

The transfer portal opened the day after the Rebels won that Sugar Bowl game. It’s pretty difficult to envision any player leaving a team in the midst of a playoff run. The portal did not close until January 16.

This entire situation raises a lot of questions.

Harper and Umanmielen are not the only players who left Ole Miss for LSU. Winnie Watkins entered the portal on January 9, immediately after the Ole Miss season ended. TJ Dottery entered his name into the portal on January 16, the final day the portal was open. Harper entered his name into the portal sometime between January 12 and January 14. Umanmielen intended to enter his name into the portal on January 15, but the school blocked his name from being entered because he had already signed his agreement. Eventually, Ole Miss placed his name into the portal, and he would later commit to and sign with LSU.

These were not the only players to leave Ole Miss through the portal as the Rebels lost approximately 20 players once the season ended, yet no other lawsuits have been filed as of this moment.

The lawsuit is a breach-of-contract case seeking nearly $1 million total between both players in buyout money. This was for contracts signed for the 2026 season. It’s hard to believe that, from the time the agreements were signed until the time both players entered the portal, they had already been paid that money in full. Normally, players receive these funds in installments spread throughout the course of the year. Also, don’t forget that when they signed those agreements, they were still playing in the 2025 season.

A lot of these issues could be addressed if the calendar were fixed. The fact that players have to negotiate contracts while still playing in the previous season is a bit absurd.

Another thing that comes to mind is all of the other players who left Ole Miss for better opportunities. What about the players who transferred to Ole Miss, especially the ones from LSU?

There are so many issues this lawsuit highlights, and it’s understandable why college football fans are tired of seeing money become the headline instead of football.

There’s no telling how this lawsuit will ultimately end, but it will be interesting to see the ramifications. Certainly, Ole Miss must be aware of the potential negative impact this could have not only on player retention but also on recruiting. Building a good roster has now been given yet another curveball to deal with.

But one thing the entire state of Louisiana can agree on is that September cannot get here fast enough. There won’t be any need to motivate the players heading into Oxford for Week 3 of the season. Even getting to play Clemson on September 5 will begin to drown out a lot of this noise that has nothing to do with the actual play on the football field.

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