With the threat of being kicked out of the SEC - a conference that LSU helped establish back in 1933 - Coach Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers appear to have blinked.
After it was announced that a meeting of the presidents and chancellors of all of the schools of the SEC would be meeting to decide if LSU should be ejected from the conference for not following a rule - LSU filled two roster positions on its roster with DE Gabriel Relliford and CB Aidan Anding. That announcement was made late Tuesday and reported by ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Yahoo Sports’ Ross Dellenger.
The move by LSU to fill those two remaining spots on the roster may bring an end to LSU failing to comply with the SEC’s position on allowing players who have had a relationship - however brief - with the NFL from returning to college football to take advantage of a fifth year eligibility.
Coach Lane Kiffin was expecting to sign former Ole Miss players - Dae’Quan Wright (TE) and Zxavian Harris (DT) - two players that had signed with NFL teams but were cut and would allegedly be free to return to college football for a fifth year of eligibility. Wright had signed with the Cleveland Browns and Harris signed with the Saints. Both were cut and applied the NCAA’s new fifth year of eligibility rule as a way to return to college football.
This controversy involving a fifth year of college eligibility started back in June when the NCAA Division I Cabinet completed substantial rule changes that included a fifth year of college eligibility for any student-athlete who enrolls in college no later than the academic year after their 19th birthday. The new eligibility rule actually streamlined a more confusing set of rules. Kiffin was one of the coaches that announced immediately that he would exercise his right to bring players that signed with NFL teams but were cut - back to college football.
LA Gov. Jeff Landry said that LSU was being targeted and he may be right. Cole Hutson (OL) at the University of Texas - participated in minicamps with the Browns and the Cowboys and sued the NCAA claiming he had a right to return to take advantage of a 5th year of college eligibility. Hutson has been allowed to participate in Longhorn practices pending a final decision by the NCAA. The SEC is already clear about its decision not to allow players with NFL experience to return to college football.
Lane Kiffin attracts attention because of his charismatic bravado. Kiffin is a rebel and that may be the reason the SEC seemed to focus so much attention on LSU. It’s as if the SEC wants to keep Kiffin in check. I think there is also a jealous component to this controversy. People are often jealous of the rebels in any area and want to show they can tame the rebels or bring down the rebels because they aren’t the rebels they would like to be. Targeting Kiffin may be as simple as jealousy.
As I have said on my talk show on WWL - New Orleans - a line has to be drawn somewhere and as much as I support rebels in most areas of life and as much as I like Kiffin’s style - I do not agree with players having any relationship with the NFL - however short-lived - and returning to college football. I do understand the opposing views on the idea that they still have a fifth year of college eligibility - but once a player is part of the NFL - I believe their college career should be over.
It must have been hard for Lane Kiffin to reach the decision to go against what he originally said about accepting players back to college football. People like Lane Kiffin don’t like to be wrong. But the stakes were too high for Kiffin to stand his ground and prove his point.
LSU’s 51-10 victory over Clemson Saturday night was a spectacular beginning of the Kiffin era at LSU and the idea that welcoming back players that had been with NFL teams was just not worth the battle and the chance that LSU might get kicked out of the SEC.
The SEC will probably move forward with their meeting on Thursday because the controversy over players returning to college football after spending any time with an NFL team may be on-going.
