The SEC has released a statement in response to a Baton Rouge judge granting a preliminary injunction in favor of numerous prospective college football players on Thursday night.
The ruling clears the way for multiple players with NFL ties to be eligible for the 2026-27 college football season. The list of players includes LSU football targets Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris.
However, the SEC previously voted to bar player who have signed NFL contracts from collegiate competition. The SEC’s statement underscored that fact on Thursday night:
“The SEC’s presidents and chancellors unanimously adopted a clear and reasonable standard: member universities should not place former professional athletes on their rosters. The conference 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.”
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As of this ruling, the SEC, the NCAA and LSU are prevented from taking any action that would negatively impact that players in question.
However, earlier in the day on Thursday, the SEC filed a lawsuit in federal court alleging that LSU “waged a deliberate and coordinated campaign to recruit professional athletes to play football for LSU.” The lawsuit seeks confirmation that the SEC can enforce its rules against ex-NFL players returning to the college ranks.
LSU must submit its 2026 roster to the SEC on Friday. The Tigers are scheduled to open the 2026 season against Clemson this weekend.
Spenser is a news editor for Saturday Down South and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.
