With SEC pressure mounting, LSU football makes roster move that may end eligibility saga
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The eligibility case that has gripped, befuddled and frustrated much of the college football world may soon be nearing a conclusion.
LSU is adding two players to its roster, Aiden Anding and Gabriel Reliford, to get it to the NCAA-mandated maximum of 105, the university confirmed to USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday, Sept. 8.
With the Tigers' roster locked for the remainder of the year, the program will not be adding tight end Dae'Quan Wright and defensive lineman Zxavian Harris to the team, potentially ending a prolonged standoff between the school and the SEC.
ESPN first reported the development.
Wright and Harris were attempting to return to college after signing with NFL teams over the offseason. Both players were seniors last season and joined NFL teams earlier this year before ultimately being waived, but after the NCAA implemented a five-for-five eligibility model, Wright and Harris were part of a lawsuit in Louisiana that ended with a judge granting a temporary restraining order that would have allowed them to play at the college level. Both players had committed to LSU and coach Lane Kiffin, who they had previously played for at Mississippi.
This news comes the same day as the SEC planning a vote on Thursday, Sept. 10 to discuss the possible expulsion of LSU from the conference. It's unclear whether that vote will still take place after the Tigers' roster moves on Tuesday.
Wright and Harris' efforts to get back to a college roster may not be over, though. Ryan Downton, the attorney for the plaintiffs in the Louisiana eligibility case, said to Yahoo Sports that the players "are reviewing legal options."
After Wright and Harris committed to the Tigers, the SEC passed a measure that would ban former NFL players from competing at member institutions, with LSU reportedly abstaining from the vote. But shortly after that, a Louisiana judge approved a preliminary injunction that prohibited the NCAA and SEC from punishing a school for playing such players.
Despite Wright and Harris being cleared, Kiffin didn’t add either player to LSU’s roster for its 2026 season-opener against Clemson. Without them, the Tigers easily won in Kiffin's debut, drubbing Clemson, 51-10. At the end of a halftime interview with ESPN, and with his team leading by 28, Kiffin said "Imagine if we had pro players."
"That wasn't easy. As much as I feel for the players, and I believe that you fight for what you believe in, and I believe that, you know, these kids have an opportunity to play, just like all of the other kids around the country that are winning court cases and being put on rosters.
But the same time, I'm the head coach at LSU and I had to make a decision that is for the big picture of LSU and the LSU football program, with the uncertainties of what potentially could've come by adding them to the roster."
"That wasn't easy," Kiffin said on ESPN's "College GameDay" last Saturday about his decision to not include them on the roster for the opening game. "As much as I feel for the players, and I believe that you fight for what you believe in, and I believe that, you know, these kids have an opportunity to play, just like all of the other kids around the country that are winning court cases and being put on rosters. But the same time, I'm the head coach at LSU and I had to make a decision that is for the big picture of LSU and the LSU football program, with the uncertainties of what potentially could've come by adding them to the roster."
After the dominant win over Clemson, LSU moved up from No. 13 to No. 8 in the US LBM Coaches Poll. The Tigers host Louisiana Tech on Saturday, Sept. 12.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: With SEC pressure mounting, LSU football makes roster move that may end eligibility saga
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