History is about to be made in college athletics, and LSU is at the center of it.
On Sunday, the Cleveland Browns released All-SEC tight end Dae’Quan Wright. Multiple media reports indicate the former Ole Miss standout will reunite with LSU coach Lane Kiffin and join the Tigers if he clears waivers.
If Wright goes to LSU, he will become the first college football player known to participate in an NFL training camp before returning to college football.
The unusual situation stems from a lawsuit filed by Wright and a group of other college football players seeking an additional year of eligibility.
The players argued they were unfairly denied a fifth season after the NCAA adopted a rule allowing athletes to compete for five seasons over five years. The high school graduating class of 2022, however, was not included under the new eligibility rules.
Last Wednesday, East Baton Rouge Parish 19th Judicial District Court Judge William Jorden granted the players involved in the lawsuit a temporary restraining order giving them an additional season of college eligibility.
Jorden also gave the players seven days to enter the NCAA transfer portal.
Wright isn't the only member of the Class of 2022 who has been granted another season.
LSU is also adding former Notre Dame edge rusher Junior Tuihalamaka, who will provide depth on the Tigers' defensive line. Tuihalamaka's situation is less complicated because he did not participate in an NFL training camp.
Wright's case is unprecedented because he signed with two NFL teams before deciding to return to college.
Wright caught 39 passes for 635 yards and five touchdowns last season at Ole Miss before signing with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent. Philadelphia released him, and Wright then signed with the Browns on Aug. 11.
He never appeared in a preseason game for Cleveland.
Browns coach Todd Monken, who previously coached wide receivers at LSU, said he received a call from Kiffin last week but did not return it.
The possibility of Wright returning to college football has drawn plenty of criticism.
Oregon coach Dan Lanning said he believes once a player enters the NFL, he should remain there.
"Once you go to the NFL, to me, you're in the NFL," Lanning said. "You don't get the opportunity to come back."
Lanning also called the situation unfair to college football.
But LSU has a different perspective.
Kiffin is being paid to win football games, and Wright and Tuihalamaka give the Tigers additional depth at two important positions as LSU prepares for a demanding nine-game SEC schedule.
The NCAA could have avoided this situation by allowing members of the 2022 recruiting class to receive a fifth season when it implemented the five-seasons-in-five-years rule.
There is also the possibility the SEC could attempt to prevent Wright from playing for LSU.
When the NCAA had two transfer portal windows, the SEC had a rule preventing players from transferring from one SEC school to another during the second portal window.
But Wright's situation is different. Technically, he would be transferring from the Cleveland Browns to LSU rather than from one SEC school to another.
Whether the SEC can or will intervene remains to be seen.
What's clear is that college football's eligibility rules are being challenged in court, and LSU is taking advantage of an opportunity created by that uncertainty.
For Kiffin and the Tigers, who have invested heavily in putting together a roster capable of competing for an SEC championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff, it would be difficult to pass up the chance to add a player of Wright's ability.
And if Wright takes the field for LSU this season after spending part of the summer in an NFL training camp, college football will have entered territory it has never seen before.
