GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU football coach Lane Kiffin continues to be Public Enemy No. 1 in the eyes of the Southeastern Conference and many in the national media and college football fans in general.
Although, he seems to be just following the rules set by judges via injunctions and/or temporary restraining orders in recruiting players through the NCAA Transfer Portal. And he seems to be trying to adhere to the NCAA and SEC rules – or lack thereof, which perhaps is why so many lawyers and judges have been involved.
“In general, should NFL players come back to college? That answer would be no,” Kiffin said last Monday when asked “how comfortable” he is “with NFL players coming back to college?”
But the day before, Kiffin had just received the first commitment in college football history from a sitting NFL player to return to college. That was Cleveland Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who dressed out for a Browns’ preseason game last Saturday, but had entered the NCAA Transfer Portal the previous Wednesday and committed to Kiffin on Sunday. Wright (6-foot-3, 246 pounds) is listed on LSU’s portal class by 247sports.com along with the other 40-plus portal players Kiffin signed last January.
So is defensive tackle Zxavian Harris (6-7, 330), who was cut by the New Orleans Saints recently and committed to Kiffin on Monday.
Both Wright and Harris played for Kiffin last season at Ole Miss as seniors.
“I think every circumstance should be looked at differently,” Kiffin continued on the subject of NFL players going back to college football. “This is a very unique circumstance. Judges ruled that these players should have been eligible for a fifth year. Had they known that, they would’ve stayed (off NFL teams after not being drafted, or not entered the draft to begin with). They did not know they had a year. They’re just going back to play the year they they’ve been granted.”
And when Kiffin looked at the NCAA Transfer Portal last week, both Wright and Harris were in the portal after receiving that fifth-year of eligibility for 2026 via a temporary restraining order ruling by East Baton Rouge Parish 19th District Court Judge William Jorden.
Wright, Harris and a host of other players in all sports around the country who began their college careers in 2022 have sued the NCAA over its new rule giving five seasons of athletics in five years instead of four, but beginning in 2023. Hence, the 2022 players’ legal action that led to the temporary restraining order by Jorden. Other judges around the country have made similar rulings in reaction to the same lawsuit by other 2022 players.
“Through them winning their injunctions and entering into the portal, they’re available to recruit,” Kiffin said Monday. “So, we’re recruiting them. At the end of the day, they’re either going to play for you or for someone else around the country. So, we’ve made the decision to recruit them, like probably most people are.”
But as of now on Wednesday, the Big Ten and SEC have added new rules against its member schools signing NFL players, regardless of the circumstances, or various judges’ rulings. And news leaked Wednesday that the SEC office has released a list of stringent penalties against Kiffin, or other league coaches signing NFL, NBA or WNBA players.
The league presidents voted 15-0 on Wednesday to confirm the following penalties, with one of the 16 SEC schools abstaining. That was LSU.
Sources: In the formal SEC presidents vote today to confirm the penalties in the legislation involving banning of NFL players, there ended up being a 15-0 vote. LSU abstained from voting. There was an initial vote of 16-0 on Tuesday. pic.twitter.com/YXFp5dddCj
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) August 26, 2026
Those penalties follow:
-The head coach would be suspended for half of their team’s season.
-The school would be issued a financial fine that would equal 50 percent of the entire budget of the sport team involved.
-The school would have its vote on SEC business matters revoked.
-And SEC commissioner Greg Sankey would maintain the “latitude to apply other sanctions” to the guilty school.
The Big Ten has similar penalties as the SEC, and the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 are moving in similar directions.
Kiffin has not yet commented on the SEC’s new rules and punishments concerning him.
Meanwhile, Cleveland Browns coach Todd Monken has apologized for incorrectly claiming over the weekend that Kiffin called him about Dae’Quan Wright.
Monken was asked about Wright in a postgame press conference on Saturday. He corrected himself on Tuesday.
NEW: Browns HC Todd Monken clarifies he was WRONG by saying Lane Kiffin called him:
— College Transfer Portal (@CollegeFBPortal) August 25, 2026
“I should’ve followed through with it.”
“That’s on me. Should not have thrown someone’s name out there without following through with it.” 😳 pic.twitter.com/wz9iW3MQLw
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