Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter told the Clarion-Ledger that suing former Rebels Princewill Umanmielen and Devin Harper over unpaid buyout money is “an option” that the program could potentially explore. The two former Rebels followed their head coach Lane Kiffin to LSU via the transfer portal back in January. The problem: The two transfers owe Ole Miss a large sum of money that AD Keith Carter chose not to disclose, but stated that, “It was significant. They were good players.”
Both players signed revenue-share agreements to stay at Ole Miss for the 2026 season before changing course and transferring to LSU shortly after Kiffin took the head coaching job in Baton Rouge. Typically when a player breaks a contract like such, the buyout would fall on the player to pay the money that is owed to their former school. According to On3, the buyout total for Umanmielen and Harper is just shy of $1,000,000 combined.
Although the money is owed by the players, LSU could choose to pay the amount on their behalf if it ends up going that far, putting an end to the matter. Athletic Director Keith Carter told the Ledger that, “Contracts are with the players. LSU could pay that on behalf of the players. So we’re kind of exploring all of that right now.” As of now nothing has been filed and the issue is still being worked out.
One thing is clear. Carter and Ole Miss intend on collecting the money that they’re owed and are willing to go to court for it, but the question is whether they’ll be suing the players, LSU, or if they will reach a settlement before it gets that far.
The timing of the potential lawsuit comes at an interesting time, with all the hype and bad blood that has already been boiling between the two schools up to this point. The LSU and Ole Miss game in Oxford this year will definitely be intriguing to say the least.
— Eric Palmer, TigerSources