Lane Kiffin has no problem acknowledging that LSU is recruiting former Cleveland Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright. He does have a problem with one part of the story about how the Tigers supposedly got involved.
Browns head coach Todd Monken said Saturday that Kiffin had reached out to him about a week earlier, only for Kiffin to offer a very different version on Monday.
Lane Kiffin Disputes Todd Monken’s Story
“There’s some inaccuracies in that story,” Kiffin said when asked about Monken’s comments. “Maybe someone else called him and said they were me.”
Kiffin then made his denial even clearer.
“I actually don’t know Todd,” Kiffin said. “I guess somebody left him a text or call that was me, because I don’t know him or have his number.”
Lane Kiffin says he does not know Todd Monken and does not have his number.
“Maybe someone else called him and said they were me…”@1045espn @LASportsDotNet pic.twitter.com/wen2MQBws1 — Matt Moscona (@MattMoscona) August 24, 2026
That directly conflicts with what Monken told reporters after Cleveland’s preseason game against Buffalo. Asked about Wright’s unusual situation, Monken said in the Browns transcript that he had wondered why Kiffin “reached out to me a week ago.”
“I didn’t call him back,” Monken added. “I guess I should have.”
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Kiffin did not dispute LSU’s interest in Wright. At his Monday press conference, he explained that the Tigers decided to recruit players who became available after recent court rulings opened paths to additional eligibility.
“We’re recruiting them,” Kiffin said. “They were made eligible.”
Dae’Quan Wright Still Has Hurdles Before Joining LSU
Wright was waived by Cleveland on Sunday after previously signing with Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told the Associated Press that Wright will join LSU if he clears NFL waivers.
The move would reunite Wright with Kiffin, who coached him at Ole Miss during the 2024 and 2025 seasons. Wright caught 39 passes for 635 yards and 5 touchdowns last year, making him a proven SEC receiving option.
His 80.6 PFN CFB TE Impact score ranked 20th nationally among qualifying tight ends in 2025.
Wright’s unusual route back to college stems from a Louisiana court order involving athletes seeking another season of eligibility. Kiffin said LSU is simply recruiting players who have been made available through those rulings.
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LSU opens the season Sept. 5 against Clemson, so the Tigers are working with little time to get Wright cleared and incorporated into the offense.
There could still be another obstacle beyond NFL waivers. Wright transferred from Ole Miss to LSU outside the SEC’s normal intraconference transfer window, creating a separate conference eligibility question.
None of that resolves the strange disagreement between the two head coaches.
Monken says Kiffin contacted him. Kiffin says he does not know Monken, does not have his number, and never made the call.
For a transfer story that was already unusual, the mystery caller somehow made it stranger.
