By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
The Cleveland Browns are planning to waive rookie tight end Dae’Quan Wright, an undrafted free agent from Ole Miss, and he will play for LSU this season for Lane Kiffin, his former Ole Miss coach now at LSU, after clearing waivers, ESPN reported on Sunday.
Sports agents Drew Rosenhaus and Kyle Lincoln told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Wright is LSU bound and will make history as the first player on an NFL team to return to a college team.
Wright (6-foot-4, 246 pounds) caught 39 passes for 635 yards last season for Ole Miss, which went 13-2 (7-1 Southeastern Conference) and reached the semifinals of the College Football Playoff with one of the best offenses in the nation. Kiffin left after an 11-1 regular season to be LSU’s coach, but his offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. and several other offensive assistant kept coaching the Rebels’ offense in the playoffs while double-dipping on Kiffin’s staff at LSU, where they remain.
Could Lane be 1st NFL Portal King? He called the Cleveland Browns coach on a player for a “Back To School” remake. https://t.co/YK5r45Kire
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) August 23, 2026
After not being chosen in the NFL Draft last April, Wright signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as a free agent, but the Eagles cut him before the Browns picked him up on waivers on Aug. 11. After East Baton Rouge Parish 19th District Court Judge William Jorden last Wednesday granted a temporary restraining order to a large group of athletes suing the NCAA for an extra year of eligibility in 2026, Wright entered the portal that day.
Wright and a number of athletes who began their college careers in 2022 have sued the NCAA over its new rule allowing athletes to play five seasons in five years instead of the previous rule of four seasons in five years. Since the NCAA rule is only for athletes beginning their college careers in 2023, the legal action began and plaintiffs with college careers beginning in 2022 have been getting temporary restraining orders from various judges allowing them to play in 2026.
The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the NCAA a stay Friday against the original ruling in favor of the 2022 suing athletes by federal judge Charlotte Sweeney of Colorado early this month. That stay stopped some of the flood of 2022 college entry athletes from getting another year. But it does not cease the cases of dozens of athletes who have successfully petitioned for restraining orders to play a fifth season in state courts around the country – such as Wright and many others via Jorden’s restraininig order.
Kiffin just added one of the players benefitting from state court rulings. That was Notre Dame fifth-year senior edge rusher Junior Tuihalamaka, who is on LSU’s roster as of Friday. Tuihalamaka has not been with any NFL teams since going undrafted in April.
Meanwhile, LSU basketball coach Will Wade has added two fifth-year seniors from UCLA also getting another season from temporary restraining order rulings – point guard Donovan Dent and guard Skyy Clark.
Wright didn’t appear in either of Cleveland’s first two preseason games as he has missed several practices recently with an injury, but he was dressed out for the Browns preseason game on Saturday against Buffalo. His next uniform looks like it will be in purple and gold on Sept. 5 when No. 11 LSU hosts No. 23 Clemson in Tiger Stadium.
The Wild West of the NCAA Transfer Portal and Name, Image & Likeness pay for college athletes that began in 2021 just got wilder.
“Man, isn’t this (expletive deleted) crazy,” Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken said when asked about Wright’s possible transfer to LSU on Saturday after his team’s 31-7 loss to Buffalo. “I don’t know what to say. I wondered why Lane Kiffin reached out a week ago? Now, I know. I didn’t call back. I guess I should have.”
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