Dabo Swinney Calls NFL Players’ Return To College To Play “Embarrassing,” And Wants To Stay In His “Lane”

By KACE KIESCHNICK, Tiger Rag Staff Reporter

Dabo Swinney was at a loss for words — something the 19th-year Clemson head coach said he rarely is.

A reporter asked him about preparing for an LSU team that may or may not have former NFL players on its roster when his No. 23 Tigers play at No. 11 LSU in Tiger Stadium on Saturday (6:30, ABC).

“Honestly it’s just embarrassing that that’s where we are, and I don’t blame the kids and people trying to take advantage of the system,” Swinney said. “I just think it’s embarrassing where we are with college football, and we’ve been there for a while.”

Swinney also took a not-so-subtle shot at LSU coach Lane Kiffin, who became the first coach in college football history to sign a player who was just a signed member of an NFL roster – tight end Dae’Quan Wright. The NFL Cleveland Browns cut Wright on Aug. 23 – the day after he dressed out for a preseason game. Wright then committed to LSU, signed and enrolled last week before practicing on Monday and Tuesday.

Dabo Swinney with a not-so-subtle message ahead of Clemson’s Week 1 matchup vs. LSU 👀 pic.twitter.com/xZJFUPp4m8

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 1, 2026

Wright and many other college athletes from the class of 2022 received temporary restraining orders from various judges around the country in an eligiblity lawsuit against the NCAA last month. They are suing to be included in the new rule by the NCAA last June that gives college athletes five seasons of sports instead of four. But the NCAA excluded class of 2022 players, whose lawyers have argued that was unfair as they were in the process of deciding their futures without the option of being eligible in 2026.

“I just keep my focus on and my energy on the things that I control and the things that matter, and that’s these kids here and our team,” Swinney said. “That outside stuff, we just – no pun intended – stay in our lane here at Clemson. Try to. Every now and then, someone will ram into us. But we just try and handle our business here. But it’s embarrassing. It really is. We have no rules. There’s no governance. It’s a joke. There are zero rules. When you enforce rules, somebody just goes and finds a judge to say, ‘No, you can’t enforce that rule.’ Never did I think I’d be living in an era like this. But that’s where we are.”

LSU also has a commitment from defensive tackle Zxavian Harris, who was a signed roster member in the NFL as was Wright. Harris was cut by the Saints last month. Wright and Harris, who each played last season for Kiffin when he was Ole Miss’ head coach, became the first former NFL players to announce their return college to play as they entered the portal. Harris, though, had not yet practiced with LSU as of Monday.

The 40-plus athletes in one specific case were granted a temporary restraining order to return by Baton Rouge dudge William Jorden. Wright and Harris both committed to LSU before the Southeastern Conference approved a new bylaw prohibiting schools from rostering ex-pro football and basketball players.

What’s Really Going On in the College Football Eligibility Fights

The lawsuit was then amended to name the SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey as defendants along with the NCAA. The players’ attorneys are seeking judicial interference to block the conference-level policy. The SEC has agreed to comply with the temporary restraining order issued by the court, while waiting for a preliminary injunction hearing scheduled for Thursday in Baton Rouge.

Also practicing with LSU is Notre Dame transfer defensive end Junior Tuihalamaka, who is also a plaintiff in the case but never appeared on an NFL roster.

Kiffin said during a weekly press conference on Monday that Wright practicing does not violate the SEC’s bylaw that only applies to listing former NFL, NBA and WNBA players on team rosters. Coaches are not required to submit finalized rosters until the Friday before a game. Kiffin did not have a timeline on when the returning fifth-year players could see the field if they are allowed to play by the court ruling on Thursday.

Lane Kiffin Is Cooperating With The SEC And Greg Sankey, But Not Backing Down From NFL Transfer Controversy

“I’ve lost zero sleep over that,” Swinney said of preparing for whether or not LSU’s newest additions will play against Clemson. “I could care less, and I don’t judge anybody. They can do what they want to do. Everybody can do whatever they want to do. People judge us all the time. I’m not going to sit here and judge somebody else on decisions they make or how they want to run their program.”