By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
LSU football coach Lane Kiffin says it all in a just-released Dr. Pepper commercial in the fictional town of “Fansville.”
“Not really known for following the rules,” Kiffin says in the commercial after being pulled over by the local sheriff.
Fact or fiction?
The Southeastern Conference just passed a new rule this week banning its member institutions from signing former NFL players, even though they’re in the NFL/NCAA Transfer Portal and ruled eligible to return by temporary restraining orders by judges regarding various lawsuits against the NCAA. The TROs freed players from all sports who began their college careers in 2022 and sued the NCAA for a fifth year of eligibility after the NCAA recently passed a new rule giving players five seasons in five years as opposed to four in five, but didn’t include the 2022 class.
And, by definition, the players’ lawsuits were against the NCAA and all conferences, as conferences like the SEC operate under the NCAA umbrella. Therefore, the TRO lets those players return to play in college from the NFL, NBA or WNBA, despite the SEC’s new rule prohibiting that.
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey’s rule banning league schools from signing NFL players from this week also includes various punishments, but since then Sankey has been named as a defendant in the players’ suits against the NCAA, which includes the SEC. So, he could be up for punishments as well, such as contempt of court.
One would think that being a former NCAA compliance guy at the SEC office, Greg Sankey would understand that the SEC is under the NCAA umbrella. And therefore, if the NCAA is under a restraining order, so is the SEC. https://t.co/KNRDPZKtSx
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) August 27, 2026
So, Kiffin actually is following the judges’ “rule,” not the SEC rule that came after various judges’ rulings. That is why the two former NFL players he gained commitments from this week for 2026 remain as commitments – tight end De’Quan Wright of the Cleveland Browns as of last week and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris, who was with the Saints in training camp this summer before being cut.
And Kiffin may add a third former NFL player soon in Tampa Bay edge rusher Jack Pyburn, who remains on that NFL roster as of Friday going into the Bucs’ game at Jacksonville tonight. Pyburn, who played at LSU last season, has made six tackles with two sacks for the Bucs this preseason.
Pyburn, one of the many class of 2022 plaintiffs in the eligibility lawsuit against the NCAA (and by definition the SEC) plans to return to LSU in accordance with the TRO as an NFL portal transfer. That is, if he is cut by Tampa Bay, which will cut down to 53 players by 5 p.m. Tuesday along with all other NFL teams.
Pyburn’s intentions of a return to LSU appear in an amendment added Thursday to the lawsuit, according to documents received by the Baton Rouge Advocate.
“Jack Pyburn has expressed his desire to return to college and plans to do if the Court allows and if Tampa Bay release him from his contractual obligations by Sept. 1, 2026 (Tuesday),” the amendment to the lawsuit states. “If allowed another year, Pyburn plans to return to LSU.”
Pyburn signed with Tampa Bay on May 8 as an undrafted free agent.
After transferring from Florida after the 2024 season, Pyburn (6-foot-4, 264) started 11 games for the Tigers last season. The Jacksonville, Florida, native made 52 tackles with 5.5 for losses, including two sacks, and he recovered a fumble.
Kiffin needs help on the defensive line as junior Gabriel Reliford is out for the season with an injury. Kiffin gained a commitment last week from Notre Dame senior edge rusher Junior Tuihalamaka, who is also in the lawsuit against the NCAA and the SEC.
Unlike Pyburn, Wright and Harris, Tuihalamaka has not been with an NFL team.
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