Putting together a championship-level college football team takes hard work, and no one knows that better than LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin.
Kiffin is always looking for an edge, and recently that has meant trying to sign former NFL players amid college football’s eligibility controversy. On Monday, Kiffin revealed what his players think of the Tigers pursuing former pros.
What Does Lane Kiffin’s Team Think of LSU Pursuing Former NFL Players?
Tight end Dae’Quan Wright has been practicing with LSU since getting cut by the Cleveland Browns. Kiffin admitted that he initially “struggled” with the decision to pursue former pros seeking to claim their fifth year of eligibility. However, the 51-year-old revealed that his players have been on board, even as the SEC opposes the moves.
“Every one of them was emphatic about, ‘If they can help us win, bring ’em,'” Kiffin told reporters. “We understand we have a team that’s practiced together and worked together all offseason, but one of them said, ‘Hey, this is how it works at the next level, and this is how the real world works.’ So that made me feel a little better in the struggle and being torn back and forth.”
Kiffin met with the players’ leadership committee to ask for their thoughts on LSU pursuing Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris, among others who were recently released by NFL teams.
However, regardless of the players’ support, whether the Tigers will be formally allowed to add the former NFL players to their official roster is still up in the air.
As ESPN notes, “a judge signed a show-cause order that requires the SEC and NCAA to explain why the new penalties associated with their pro athlete rules don’t put them in contempt of court and in violation of the judge’s previous ruling in the case. The judge can either uphold the temporary restraining order, which prohibits the SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey from punishing schools if they play a football player who is added to the roster after signing with an NFL team, or can reverse the decision.”
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Kiffin said if the ruling is reversed, he plans to follow the SEC rules and not play an ineligible athlete. In the meantime, Kiffin said that Wright, who was released by the Cleveland Browns, has been practicing with the team along with former Notre Dame defensive end Junior Tuihalamaka. LSU’s pursuit of these players has ruffled feathers in the college football world.
The final roster for the Tigers is due to the SEC on Friday, the day before LSU opens its season at home against Clemson.
