Lane Kiffin’s attempt to get Zxavian Harris and Dae’Quan Wright on his roster got a major boost from a Louisiana court on Thursday. The two players can get on the roster, but it is uncertain whether they’d suit up for Week 1 due to NCAA’s seven practices rule. Amid all that, LSU’s opponent on Saturday has also chimed in with a warning for Lane Kiffin.

Clemson general counsel Chip Hood sent a brief email Friday afternoon, September 4, to LSU’s general counsel. It raised concerns about LSU using players whose eligibility is still in dispute. Yahoo Sports obtained a copy of the message. The full email has not been published.

Hood said Clemson still planned to travel to Baton Rouge and play Saturday. The school was not seeking financial damages and was not threatening a lawsuit. 

Clemson also stated that it “supports the position of the NCAA and our conferences regarding the eligibility of professional athletes returning to play college sports.” The school pointed to a game-contract article that prohibits ineligible players from taking part. 

Clemson administrators had reviewed the contract for several days before Hood sent the notice. At that point, LSU had not formally added the former NFL players to its roster. Friday night is the initial deadline to file the 105-player season roster. 

The whole eligibility fiasco started after the NCAA adopted a new “5-for-5” age-based eligibility rule on June 23, 2026. Athletes get five seasons in a five-year window that starts at enrollment or the academic year after they turn 19. The NCAA did not grandfather the high school Class of 2022. Affected athletes began filing lawsuits and argued the new rule was unfair. 

Judge William Jorden in Baton Rouge issued a temporary restraining order on August 19, 2026. That order let named plaintiffs return to college activities. The group also included players who had signed NFL deals. That is when Wright and Harris became able to commit to LSU and start practicing. 

Power conferences, including the SEC, then tightened bans on rostering former professionals. A hearing on turning the TRO into a preliminary injunction was held on Thursday, September 3.

After around a nine-hour hearing, with testimony from Wright, Harris, and Greg Sankey, Jorden granted a preliminary injunction. The order blocks the SEC from using its adopted NCAA eligibility requirements or threatened penalties to make that relief meaningless. 

The injunction is limited to the current academic and athletic year. The judge found they had not yet taken a concrete enough step that violated the earlier TRO. This is temporary relief, not a final ruling on the whole case.

LSU still faces bigger risks after Saturday

League presidents adopted a standard that member schools should not put former professional athletes on their rosters. That covers NFL, NBA, or WNBA contract or roster players. LSU President Wade Rousse had voted with the conference on related measures. 

Reporting said he abstained on a penalties package while others voted yes. On Thursday, while the Baton Rouge hearing was underway, the SEC sued LSU in the Northern District of Alabama in Birmingham. 

The complaint alleges LSU “waged a deliberate and coordinated campaign to recruit professional athletes,” including players who had signed with the Browns, Saints, and Buccaneers. It said presidents unanimously adopted a “clear and reasonable standard” and member schools have the right to set the rules under which they compete. 

The conference plans to appeal the state ruling and pursue the federal case. Conference leaders have also discussed a possible boycott, probation, suspension, or expulsion if a member rosters former pros. Kiffin, on his part, has continued to main that LSU is merely playing by the rules, and the conferences shouldn’t be selective about which rules they’d follow.

“We have, you know, made a decision to recruit some kids around the country, and through these multiple injunctions around the country… they’re available to recruit. So ourselves, like many places around the country, are recruiting them,” Kiffin said on August 24. “At the end of the day, because of these rulings, they’re either going to play for you, or they’re going to play somewhere else around the country. We made a decision to recruit them, like probably most people are.”

The Week 1 clash between LSU and Clemson is likely to go ahead without Harris and Wright. However, if the status-quo doesn’t change, they can suit up for LSU’s Week 2 matchup against Louisiana Tech.