EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe LSU Tigers are adding two players to complete their 105-man roster for the 2026 season, which eliminates the possibility of the program bringing in former NFL rookies Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, sources told ESPN's Pete Thamel on Tuesday.Cornerback Aidan Anding and defensive end Gabriel Reliford, two returning players for the Tigers, are joining the 105-man roster, sources told Thamel.Reliford is in his third year with the Tigers and Anding is entering his second year. Both were left off the 105-man roster ahead of LSU's season opener, a 51-10 win over Clemson on Saturday, after suffering injuries in the spring.The decision means LSU coach Lane Kiffin and the school are moving on from their efforts to add Wright and Harris, an issue that has escalated into a significant legal battle between LSU and the SEC.Attorney Ryan Downton, who represents Wright and Harris, told ESPN the players are considering their legal options.The SEC filed a federal lawsuit against LSU last week regarding the school's potential plans to add former NFL players and amended it on Tuesday, saying it has scheduled a Thursday meeting with its presidents and chancellors to vote on whether to terminate LSU's membership in the SEC."The SEC and its member universities have the right to establish, through agreed-upon governance procedures, the rules under which they voluntarily compete and to expect those rules to be followed," the SEC said in a statement. "A commitment to those rules, and to the core principles of the Southeastern Conference, is an essential element of SEC membership."Today's filing is necessary to defend that right and preserve the Conference's ability to govern competition among its members."Wright and Harris were cleared by a Louisiana judge last week to return for their fifth year of college and transfer to LSU, despite the fact they'd signed with NFL teams earlier this year as undrafted free agents. Both played for Kiffin at Ole Miss last year. Wright said he practiced with the team for two days and expected to play against Clemson.But LSU held off on adding Wright and Harris to its 105-man roster as it weighed the potential consequences of violating the SEC's newly established rules and hefty penalties associated with rostering athletes who've previously signed professional contracts.Judge William Jorden approved a preliminary injunction last Thursday that prohibited the NCAA and SEC from punishing any school that Wright, Harris or the rest of the 42 athletes who successfully sued the NCAA in Louisiana court seeking a fifth year of eligibility.After securing the injunction, Downton told reporters he would likely try to hold LSU in contempt of court if it did not follow through with adding Wright and Harris to its roster.Kiffin said on ESPN's "College GameDay" on Saturday that the decision not to roster Wright and Harris for the Tigers' first game was made for the "big picture of LSU and the LSU football program" given the "uncertainties of what could come by adding them to the roster.""My job is what I believe is right, and I believe we were fighting for what was right for those kids," Kiffin said in his postgame news conference after defeating Clemson. "I'm not going to get into all the reasons, but that's what I believe."
