Last updated: Sunday, August 30, 2026.
No program in the country has pushed harder on the NFL-to-college pipeline than LSU. While most schools waited to see how the litigation shook out, Lane Kiffin went recruiting in the one place nobody had recruited before: the waiver wire.
That plan just took a hit. Kansas City claimed Jack Pyburn off waivers on Monday, ending his intended return before it started — a claim transfers a player’s NFL contract intact, and a standard deal bars him from playing for any other team or league. LSU is back to three.
Here’s the full roll, and where each case actually stands.
| Player | Position | Came from | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| EDGE | Tampa Bay Buccaneers LSU 2025, Florida 2022-24 |
NOT COMING. Claimed off waivers by Kansas City on Aug. 31 — a claim transfers his contract, which bars him from playing elsewhere. | |
| Dae’Quan Wright | TE | Cleveland Browns Ole Miss |
Released and committed to LSU. Appeared in two Browns preseason games. |
| Zxavian Harris | DL | New Orleans Saints Ole Miss |
Committed to LSU. Covered by the Louisiana restraining order. |
| Junior Tuihalamaka | EDGE | — Notre Dame |
Committed to LSU. |
Wright and Harris both played for Kiffin at Ole Miss and followed him to Baton Rouge. This page updates as cases resolve.
Why LSU, Specifically
Two things put the Tigers at the center of this. The first is Kiffin, who has been openly unapologetic about pursuing players caught between college and the pros while other coaches stayed quiet. The second is geography that turned out to matter enormously: the lawsuit that cracked this open was filed in Louisiana, and a Louisiana court is where the restraining orders have come from.
Wright and Harris are not random additions either. Both played for Kiffin at Ole Miss before he moved to LSU, which means the Tigers were recruiting players who already knew the staff. Pyburn spent 2025 at LSU and started 11 games. Three of the four have existing relationships with the program — this is less a raid on the NFL than a reunion made possible by a court order.
The Obstacle That Disappeared
Ten days ago none of this looked viable. On Aug. 25 the SEC announced that any player who had signed a professional contract, appeared on a pro roster or entered a pro draft could not compete in the conference. The penalties finalized the following day were aimed squarely at schools like LSU: a half-season suspension for the head coach, loss of certain conference voting privileges, and a fine of up to half the sport’s annual operating budget, with commissioner Greg Sankey holding discretion to add more.
Then a Louisiana court granted a temporary restraining order that named the SEC itself, and on Aug. 29 the conference said it would comply rather than fight. The penalty threat against LSU evaporated. The Big Ten, Big 12 and Notre Dame had passed comparable bans, and how those hold up is a separate and unfinished question — we cover the legal arguments in our piece on whether conferences can ban NFL returnees.
What Each Player Gives Up
The trade is real and it isn’t obviously good. Under the NFL’s clarification this month, a player who returns to college this season cannot sign with an NFL club during the 2026 season. Every man on this list is giving up the possibility of a practice squad spot — and its weekly paycheck — for a fifth college season and a run at improving his stock for next spring’s draft.
For Pyburn that calculation is sharpest. He led the entire NFL with four sacks this preseason and got cut anyway, which is either evidence that he deserves another NFL look or evidence that the league has already made up its mind about him. Full detail on his case is in our Jack Pyburn to LSU file.
What Happens Next
Monday at 1 p.m. ET is the immediate checkpoint. Pyburn was waived rather than released outright, so all 31 other NFL clubs get a chance to claim him first. A claim ends the LSU plan on the spot. If he clears, the remaining hurdles are administrative: portal entry, NCAA reinstatement and roster placement, all inside the five days before Clemson.
Beyond that, the litigation is not over. The NCAA has continued contesting these cases individually, appeals are certain, and Congress is being pushed toward an antitrust exemption that would settle the question in the schools’ favor. Nothing here is permanent yet. The league-wide picture is tracked on our NFL players returning to college hub.
The Bottom Line
LSU has commitments from three former pros and is one waiver period away from a fourth. Kiffin bet early that the courts would clear the path, and after the SEC agreed to comply with a Louisiana restraining order on Aug. 29, that bet has largely paid off. Whether it produces wins against Clemson on Sept. 5 is a different question — but no roster in college football has been assembled quite like this one.