Did LSU football roster ex-NFL players after win in court v NCAA, SEC?

BATON ROUGE – What the first LSU football roster under head coach Lane Kiffin was going to look like has arguably been the biggest story line in college football this preseason.

A potential sport-changing court ruling Sept. 4 officially paved the way for LSU to add ex-NFL players to the team, should Kiffin and his staff opted to do so. Per NCAA bylaws, teams must have their finalized rosters turned in by midnight local time before its season opener.

No. 13 LSU opens up the 2026 season against No. 23 Clemson inside Tiger Stadium and the big question is did Kiffin and company decide to roster former NFL players Dae’Quan Wright, Zxavian Harris and Blake Cotton?

Per the team’s web site late Friday night, the tri of former pro players are not present as LSU has decided to left them off the 2026 roster. It’s worth noting that per SEC rule, LSU can add players to its roster during the season as long as it had roster spots available.

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Harris and Wright were part of the meaning court case Thursday when East Baton Rouge Parish District Court Judge Will Jorden granted an injunction for the 31 total plaintiffs that were seeking a fifth year of eligibility. Wright and Harris were the headliners as they were trying to return to college football and play for Kiffin.

There was one addition, however, that came out of Thursday’s court ruling. Former Notre Dame defensive end Junior Tuihalamaka has been added to LSU’s roster for the season opener against Clemson.

Cotton, a former Utah cornerback who participated in training camp with the Denver Broncos this offseason, is also not on LSU’s finalized roster. Cotton has been linked to LSU but has not officially nor publicly said he was joining Kiffin and his team.

The Tigers lack quality depth at the cornerback position and the Cotton can provide some more skill on the defensive perimeter.

Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Did LSU football roster ex-NFL players after win in court v NCAA, SEC?

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