By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU football coach Lane Kiffin may be on the edge of Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey’s last nerve.
But Kiffin will likely soon be adding another freshly cut NFL player to his portal roster for the 2026 season in edge rusher Jack Pyburn of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
On Sunday, Tampa Bay cut Pyburn, who played edge last season for LSU as a senior after transferring from Florida.
NEW: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have waived EDGE Jack Pyburn, @gregauman reports.
— On3 (@On3) August 30, 2026
The NFL preseason sack leader plans to make his way to LSU if he clears waivers.https://t.co/nBv2Lqlln3 https://t.co/rhC2yzoNuj pic.twitter.com/r2AeuPK4m7
Pyburn is one of the many NFL players across the country who have sued the NCAA – and by definition the SEC or any other conference – for the right to play another college season in 2026. All have received various temporary restraining orders from various state judges, freeing them to play against Sankey’s wishes.
The lawsuits were a reaction to a new NCAA rule passed just last June that gave college athletes in all sports a fifth year of eligibility instead of four, beginning with athletes who signed in 2023. Pyburn and the other athletes suing all signed with colleges in 2022 and have argued via their attorneys that they also have a right to their fifth season. Because had they known that a new five-year rule was coming, they would have made plans to stay in college for the 2026 season.
The fact that the players did not know the new five-in-five rule was coming is a key argument in particular for those college football seniors in 2025 who signed with NFL teams this spring and summer – like Pyburn.
Former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who played as a senior last season for Kiffin when he was still Ole Miss’ coach, committed to Kiffin last Sunday after dressing out the night before as a Cleveland Brown for a preseason game. He became the first NFL player to transfer back to college in history.
Then the next day, former Ole Miss defensive tackle Zxavian Harris committed to LSU. He was previously on the Saints’ roster over the summer as an undrafted free agent. Pyburn and Wright were also undrafted free agents on the Bucs’ and Browns’ rosters, respectively.
Sankey came out with a new rule last week in reaction to the Kiffin additions via the NFL, banning any player signed to an NFL roster from coming back to a college team, regardless of the extenuating circumstances of the eligibility lawsuit. Sankey, though, reversed his course on Saturday and agreed to adhere to the temporary restraining orders.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey comes to his senses and bows to recent court rulings vs. NCAA (and by definition the SEC) that say SEC schools, like LSU, and others can sign players who were recently signed to NFL rosters. @racertodd https://t.co/RCQtyfnak1
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) August 29, 2026
Another hearing that involves Pyburn, Wright and Harris will be in Baton Rouge on Thursday and could solidify their status and let them play the rest of the season at LSU. Or a ruling could stop their return to college.
Pyburn, who has said he plans to sign with LSU, now only needs to clear waivers by not being picked up by any other NFL team off the waiver wire to return to LSU, barring a ruling against his wishes on Thursday.
Another NFL team may be interested in Pyburn, though, as he has had a solid preseason with the Bucs. He just made two more sacks on Friday night in Tampa Bay’s 19-0 loss at Jacksonville – his hometown. He has 10 tackles with an NFL preseason high four sacks through three preseason games.
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