Lane Kiffin justifies recruiting his former players to LSU after NFL cut

Lane Kiffin is defending his recruitment of ex-Ole Miss players to come to LSU following their release from NFL rosters, with the latest being former Saints defensive lineman Zxavian Harris. 

Harris is the latest player in a laundry list of athletes whose eligibility was restored for a fifth season after a recent court ruling by a Louisiana judge. 

Kiffin has taken advantage of the decision by recruiting Harris, Dae’Quan Wright and other high school Class of 2022 players. 

LSU head coach Lane Kiffin fields questions after an NCAA college football practice Monday, Aug. 10, 2026. Michael Johnson/The Advocate via AP

“We have, you know, made a decision to recruit some kids around the country, and through these multiple injunctions around the country, which, this is not a first time in college sports, players were granted a fifth year of eligibility in multiple sports,” Kiffin told reporters on Monday. “And through them winning their injunction and entry into the portal, they’re available to recruit. So ourselves, like many places around the country, are recruiting them.

“At the end of the day, because of these rulings, they’re either going to play for you or they’re going to play somewhere else around the country. We made a decision to recruit them, like probably most people are.”

Zxavian Harris #51 of the Ole Miss Rebels rushes during the College Football Playoff Semifinal against Miami. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Harris’ commitment to LSU is certainly an interesting one, not just because of the court case that is playing out between many student-athletes and the NCAA, but the former Ole Miss player had some strong words for Kiffin after the coach’s abrupt departure. 

Before the College Football Playoff, he called Kiffin’s exit a “slap in the face and then a backhand,” and in The Athletic, he criticized him even more. 

“When Kiffin was there, he was telling us like almost every day, don’t believe the rumors,” Harris said to the outlet. “Like, he’s not gonna leave, to keep us focused. But by the time it came, everybody was starstruck. He told us not to believe the rumors. We should have believed it, and he just left out of nowhere.”