BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) 鈥� After a stop in the NFL, former Mississippi tight end Dae鈥橯uan Wright could be heading to LSU thanks to a court order that is creating by allowing Wright and others an unexpected fifth year of eligibility.
Wright’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, told The Associated Press on Monday that the tight end had been waived by the Cleveland Browns and, if he clears waivers, will join .
If he joins the Tigers, Wright would be the first known player to return to college after playing in the NFL. He may not be the last.
At a news conference Monday, Kiffin declined to discuss any specific players, but he did say of the players in the lawsuit: 鈥淭hey鈥檙e available to recruit. So, ourselves, like many places around the country, are recruiting them.鈥�
Not doing so, Kiffin said, could lead to a situation where 鈥渨e may end up playing against them.鈥�
Wright signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted rookie following the draft. After Philly released him on Aug. 11, the Browns signed him. Wright didn鈥檛 play in Cleveland鈥檚 two preseason games. Wright played two seasons for Kiffin at Ole Miss. Last year, he caught 39 passes for 635 yards and five touchdowns for the Rebels.
Wright was among a group of players who sued in a Louisiana court, saying a new NCAA rule granting five years of eligibility to most athletes should apply to him and others who were not 鈥済randfathered鈥� into the rule, which did not include those who graduated high school in 2022.
In a statement released Monday evening, the Southeastern Conference said it firmly opposes professional athletes returning to play college sports.
鈥淐ollege athletes, not professional athletes, have been at the heart of the Southeastern Conference,鈥� the statement said. 鈥淚ndividuals who choose to leave college athletics, sign professional playing contracts, and compete professionally should not then be permitted to return to college competition. Allowing that to occur will blur the line between college and professional sports, create significant competitive equity concerns and reduce opportunities for high school and current college athletes.鈥�
The SEC concluded its statement by calling on Congress to pass a bill regulating college sports.
Wright and two others who played for Kiffin at Ole Miss 鈥� former New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Zxavian Harris and Arizona Cardinals safety Wydett Williams 鈥� were among those granted a temporary restraining order last week. Former LSU and current Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Jack Pyburn also was among the plaintiffs.
The players can regain their college eligibility if they terminate their pro contracts and repay any pro earnings. Pyburn鈥檚 deal with the Bucs guaranteed him $115,000, including a $15,000 signing bonus.
鈥淚鈥檓 just trying to maximize myself as a player and as a person and play my best football, wherever that is,鈥� Pyburn told The Athletic last week.
A preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled for Aug. 31 in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
The SEC has its own rule barring transfers inside the conference beyond a designated window in January. Commissioner Greg Sankey sent the schools a reminder about that rule earlier this month, though there鈥檚 no certainty on how it would play into Wright鈥檚 move to LSU in the wake of the court order.
The judge in Louisiana allowed for the fifth year and also ordered the football transfer portal, normally open only in January, to reopen for a week for the players in the lawsuit.
鈥淚n my opinion, knowing the information, it鈥檚 really wrong to be critical of these kids,鈥� said Kiffin, whose move from Ole Miss to LSU last season also created tension between the SEC schools. 鈥淭hey were granted a fifth year by a judge, saying they were wronged by the NCAA. 鈥� It鈥檚 simply that a judge decided they should have a fifth year, like everyone moving forward will have.鈥�
Kiffin suggested that the current recruiting by colleges of NFL rookies is a 鈥渢otally unique circumstance that came about because of the five-for-five (ruling), and players feeling like they should have known about it before, and because of all the cases around the country. I don鈥檛 think we鈥檒l have this (situation) again.鈥�
Other coaches, though, have been less supportive.
鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a lot of negatives that are involved around this,鈥� Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. 鈥淥nce you go to the NFL, to me, you鈥檙e in the NFL. You don鈥檛 get the opportunity to come back.鈥�
Added Florida coach Jon Sumrall: 鈥淲hat I really struggle with is the rules are changing so daily based upon a court ruling, or what happens in a court in Colorado, or a court here, a court in Louisiana. We need to have some continuity and some consistency across the board.鈥�
Tennessee coach Josh Heupel also made his feelings known Monday when asked to compare the two-game suspension given to Volunteers linebacker Arion Carter over a for a trip to an NFL training facility during the pre-draft process before he returned to college.
鈥淵ou guys certainly have a clear picture of how I feel about that entire situation to begin with, even before some of the madness that is college football and rosters,鈥� Heupel said.
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Maaddi reported from Tampa, Florida.
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