LSU initially had the green light to add former NFL players to the roster ahead of their game against Clemson, but the SEC is trying to stop that. With the season opener against Clemson approaching, the Tigers chose not to use them.

Tight end Dae’Quan Wright and defensive lineman Zxavian Harris, the two former Ole Miss players who spent this summer in NFL training camps before enrolling at LSU and sued for a fifth year of eligibility, were left off the Tigers’ roster for Saturday’s showdown with Clemson. LSU submitted a 103 man roster, two spots under the 105 player limit, leaving room to add both players later in the season if they choose to.

The ordeal traces back to the NCAA’s shift to a new 5 for 5 eligibility model, which opened the door for athletes like Wright and Harris to argue they were entitled to another year of college football even after signing NFL contracts. Wright dressed for the Cleveland Browns second preseason game against Buffalo, but did not play because of an injury. Zxavian Harris signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent but much like Wright, never played in any preseason games. Both ultimately landed in the transfer portal and enrolled at LSU after being granted a fifth year of eligibility.

On Thursday, Louisiana district court judge William Jorden granted a preliminary injunction covering 42 athletes across multiple sports, including Wright and Harris, that barred the NCAA and SEC from punishing schools that rostered them. The timing lined up perfectly for LSU who now had a legal opening to play both men against Clemson just two days later.

The SEC, however, had already drawn a hard line. The conference passed a rule last week giving commissioner Greg Sankey the power to punish any school that rostered a player who had signed an NFL contract. The penalties included a half season suspension for the head coach and a fine equal to half the program’s football budget. LSU was the only school to abstain from that vote.

Then Clemson got involved. On Friday, Clemson’s general counsel emailed LSU’s general counsel warning that using Wright or Harris could violate the two schools’ contractual agreement for Saturday’s game. As LSU was faced with a court injunction on one side and threats from both the SEC and Clemson on the other, LSU chose not to add the players to the roster ahead of their matchup with the Tigers.

It wasn’t a full retreat, though. Both players remain enrolled at LSU, and the two open roster spots signal that the door isn’t fully closed just yet. Wright and Harris could still be added later this season if the legal side holds in favor of LSU and the athletes.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney had already called the idea of former NFL players returning to college football embarrassing for the sport, and LSU’s decision to sit this one out, despite winning in court for now, suggests Kiffin and the administration weighed the short term reward of adding Wright and Harris against the long term cost of a fight with the rest of the SEC.

As of now, LSU plays Clemson at full strength with the roster that they came in with tonight. Whether Wright and Harris ever suit up in the purple and gold looks to be the question that nobody is entirely sure about just yet. Throughout the late offseason legal battles, the Tigers look ready for their first test of the season in the real Death Valley.

— Eric Palmer, TigerSources