SEC will comply with court order allowing LSU to add ex-pros | LSU

Less than a week from kickoff against Clemson, there is nothing stopping LSU football from adding former professional athletes to its roster.

As much was clear Friday when a Baton Rouge court amended its temporary restraining order to include the NCAA, Southeastern Conference and commissioner Greg Sankey as defendants, prohibiting the league from penalizing member institutions for adding ex-pros.

It became doubly clear Saturday when one of the attorneys for the athletes, Darren Heitner, posted to social media that it is his “understanding” that the SEC and Sankey “will comply with all applicable court orders, including those in Louisiana.”

Multiple outlets have confirmed that the SEC communicated its intention to comply to the athletes’ attorneys.

This doesn’t mean the SEC has rolled over completely, because the Baton Rouge eligibility case — which seeks a fifth season of competition for a growing list of 40-plus athletes — is scheduled for a Thursday hearing on a preliminary injunction.

Even if the plaintiffs are granted an injunction by Judge William Jorden, the SEC could seek to overturn the decision in a Louisiana appellate court. The league also could attempt to countersue in another jurisdiction, possibly at the federal level.

For now, LSU can operate under the legal guidance issued in its home state, which shields against the SEC’s proposed penalties for adding ex-pros, including a fine of 50% of a sport’s budget and a half-season suspension of the team’s coach.

Friday’s order from the judge also prevented the NCAA from enforcing its rule against “ghost” transfers, which are athletes who enroll at a university without entering the transfer portal during the NCAA’s prescribed windows.

The judge’s order applied to “all persons acting in concert or participating with” the NCAA and said “any SEC rule or proposed penalty” can’t be levied against the plaintiffs or “any member institution or coach for which the plaintiffs choose to compete” this season.

A penalty couldn’t be issued against “any member institution or coach that competes against the plaintiffs” either, according to the judge’s order.

LSU coach Lane Kiffin has commitments from multiple fifth-year seniors who joined in the Baton Rouge case, including former Ole Miss starters Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris. Wright, a tight end, was on the Browns’ roster during the preseason. Harris, an All-SEC defensive tackle, was signed by the Saints in May but was held back by a foot injury and later released.

Former St. John’s and UMass basketball wing RJ Luis, who previously signed a two-way NBA contract and played in Celtics preseason games, has been recruited by Will Wade to join LSU’s men’s basketball team. Luis won an injunction on Monday against the NCAA.

LSU isn’t the only SEC school adding ex-pros. Cole Hutson, an offensive lineman at Texas, has returned to the college ranks after participating in rookie minicamps in Dallas and Cleveland; he just received a temporary restraining order in his home state.

Kentucky men’s basketball has accepted a transfer from former Missouri star Mark Mitchell, who participated in the NBA Summer League with the Denver Nuggets.

Kiffin has been the most aggressive in bringing back fifth-year seniors. Along with Wright and Harris, the Tigers have added former Notre Dame defensive end Junior Tuihalamaka, who already has an active email address at LSU.

The lawsuit filed in Baton Rouge also states that former LSU edge rusher Jack Pyburn, who is currently with the Bucs, plans to return to the Tigers if he doesn’t make an NFL team. He might stick in the pros, though, because Pyburn just had his second two-sack performance this preseason in Tampa Bay’s loss Friday to Jacksonville.

LSU could also bring in former Utah cornerback Blake Cotton, who, according to the Baton Rouge lawsuit, has interest in a “Division I University in Louisiana.” The same was said about Wright, Harris and Tuihalamaka in this week’s court filing.

According to NCAA rules, LSU doesn’t have to set its final roster for the Clemson game until the Friday before the game, which is a day after the injunction hearing. The NCAA also mandates a five-day “acclimatization” period for new football players before they can practice and play in full pads.