.jpg)
1 hour ago
2
Welcome to the wild, wild west of college football, where former NFL players can return to school and suit up to play.
On Thursday evening, a Baton Rouge judge ruled in favor of two former NFL players, Dae'Quan Wright and defensive end Zxavian Harris. It is unclear if both guys will actually suit up to play, given the SEC's new federal lawsuit and the conference discussing stiff punishments for schools that play former NFLers.
But for now, both guys are eligible to play. Let's take a look at what the Tigers are getting in both players.
MORE: Latest news on if former NFL players will suit for LSU's opener
Who are the ex-NFL players on LSU?
The two former players are tight end Dae'Quan Wright and defensive end Zxavian Harris. Both guys played for Kiffin at Ole Miss for the last two seasons. More recently, though, both guys were on NFL rosters.
Wright went undrafted during the 2026 NFL Draft. In early May, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent, who released him on Aug. 10. But a day later, he was added to the Cleveland Browns' roster.
Harris was also not selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. He was a UDFA signing with the New Orleans Saints on May 1, and was with the team until the Saints waived him on Aug. 8. After attending the NFL Scouting Combine in March, he underwent foot surgery and did not practice in New Orleans, as he was still recovering.
Harris announced he was signing with LSU a few days after a temporary restraining order stemming from a federal lawsuit in Louisiana granted him and Wright an additional year of eligibility. Although Wright was still with Cleveland at the time, he was ultimately released by the Browns on waivers on Aug. 24 and returned to LSU.
MORE: Gauging the CFB pressure index on coaches, players, teams
Dae’Quan Wright
Wright was rated as a three-star tight end out of Perry High School in Georgia. He started his career at Virginia Tech, where he spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons. He appeared in 19 games with seven starts, registering 47 receptions for 574 yards across his two seasons. He transferred to Ole Miss ahead of the 2024 season.
As a junior, he had 27 receptions for 394 yards and a career-high four touchdowns, making six starts. Last season, he was a full-time starter for the Rebels and had the best season of his career. He finished with 39 receptions for 635 yards with five touchdowns, averaging 16.3 yards per reception.
With the Browns, he did not record any stats in the preseason, but he was seen on the field during warm-ups:
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) August 22, 2026Zxavian Harris
Coming out of high school, Harris was a highly-touted prospect out of the state of Mississippi. Per the 247Sports Composite, he was ranked a four-star from the class of 2022, ranked No. 20 for his position and No. 4 out of his home state. He signed with the Rebels and Coach Kiffin over offers from Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Tennessee.
His playing time at Ole Miss steadily increased throughout his career. As a sophomore in 2023, he made seven starts and appeared in 11 games, getting 30 total tackles with 18 solo stops and one sack. His junior year, he added 31 tackles with 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble, making three starts for the Rebels.
He had a breakout season as a senior last year, starting in all 15 games and recording 58 total tackles, three sacks and an interception.
But Harris did have a pair of off-the-field incidents, as well. In 2023, he was arrested in July on DUI and felony fleeing charges. In August of 2024, he was arrested on domestic violence and obstructing arrest charges. He did not miss any playing time at Ole Miss, and it's unclear what happened legally to the charges.
MORE: 8 simple reasons why we still love college football
Why Dae’Quan Wright, Zxavian Harris can play for LSU
In early August, Judge Charlotte Sweeney granted a class-action preliminary injunction allowing high school athletes who graduated in 2022 an additional year. The ruling came as a result of the NCAA announcing it was changing its eligibility rules, giving athletes five years as opposed to four.
Harris and Wright were listed as plaintiffs in a lawsuit filed in a Louisiana state court to give them an additional year of eligibility. There have been several similar lawsuits filed across the country on behalf of athletes.
On Aug. 19, a temporary restraining order was granted in the case, which gave Wright, Harris and the other athletes an additional year of eligibility.
An appeals hearing was held in that case on Thursday, and the judge sided with the players, giving them eligibility to play.
Players are granted additional eligibility.
The decision now rests with LSU on adding them to the roster. https://t.co/7mgqXTdgwz
%3Cscript%20async%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fplatform.x.com%2Fwidgets.js%22%20charset%3D%22utf-8%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E
The court has ruled in favor of the athletes! Again, they are not professional football players circling back after years in the NFL. They are college players who were told, by the NCAA, that they were done. So they took the only door that was open, only to watch the NCAA change…
— Governor Jeff Landry (@LAGovJeffLandry) September 4, 2026%3Cscript%20async%20src%3D%22https%3A%2F%2Fplatform.x.com%2Fwidgets.js%22%20charset%3D%22utf-8%22%3E%3C%2Fscript%3E
The judge explicitly stated that LSU, NCAA and SEC are all enjoined from taking “actions that negatively impact” the athletes. https://t.co/iZliUu2VDd
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) September 4, 2026But that is just one legal hurdle facing both players. On Thursday, the SEC filed a lawsuit attempting to bar Wright and Harris from playing for LSU. The conference requested that the court “enter a preliminary and permanent injunction prohibiting Defendants from violating the Conference’s First Amendment rights by compelling the Conference to associate with conduct that is contrary to the Conference’s purpose and mission.”
The outcome of that case has not been settled, so at this point it's unclear if both guys will play. At the very least, both Wright and Harris have reportedly been practicing with the Tigers in the days leading up to the Clemson game.
MORE: Week 1 picks against the spread for LSU-Clemson, more
Dae’Quan Wright stats
| Season | Team | Rec | Yds | TD |
| 2022 | Virginia Tech | 19 | 208 | 0 |
| 2023 | Virginia Tech | 28 | 366 | 0 |
| 2024 | Ole Miss | 27 | 394 | 4 |
| 2025 | Ole Miss | 39 | 635 | 5 |
Zxavian Harris stats
| Season | Team | G | Solo | Comb | TFL | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
| 2022 | Ole Miss | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Ole Miss | 11 | 18 | 30 | 3.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | Ole Miss | 13 | 13 | 32 | 4.5 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2025 | Ole Miss | 15 | 27 | 58 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
English (US)