LSU fans worried about ramifications of Kiffin’s decision to recruit, play former NFL players

LSU fans worried about ramifications of Kiffin’s decision to recruit, play former NFL players 0 seconds of 1 minute, 2 secondsVolume 0% Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts Keyboard ShortcutsEnabledDisabled Shortcuts Open/Close/ or ? Play/PauseSPACE Increase Volume↑ Decrease Volume↓ Seek Forward→ Seek Backward← Captions On/Offc Fullscreen/Exit Fullscreenf Mute/Unmutem Decrease Caption Size- Increase Caption Size+ or = Seek %0-9 Next Up Icelandic voters reject a proposal to restart negotiations to join the European Union 01:16 Subtitle Settings OffEnglish(US)_v Font Color White Font Opacity 100% Font Size 100% Font Family Arial Character Edge None Edge Color Black Background Color Black Background Opacity 50% Window Color Black Window Opacity 0% Reset WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25% 200%175%150%125%100%75%50% ArialCourierGeorgiaImpactLucida ConsoleTahomaTimes New RomanTrebuchet MSVerdana NoneRaisedDepressedUniformDrop Shadow WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25%0% WhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyan 100%75%50%25%0% 00:00 01:02 01:02 More Videos 01:16 Icelandic voters reject a proposal to restart negotiations to join the European Union 00:32 Trump vows to hit 35 battleground races despite sagging polls 00:53 Iranian media and Red Crescent footage show damage after US attack on Iran 01:00 The USS Abraham Lincoln arrives in Thailand following its Middle East deployment 00:30 Nepal students survive devastating floods thanks to lunch break 01:15 School principal led 900 students to safety during Nepal flash floods 01:16 2 people killed and suspect is dead after a shooting in a downtown Minneapolis apartment building 00:47 Thailand's Pattaya anticipates USS Abraham Lincoln visit following its Middle East deployment Close 1 of 4 | Louisiana-state-university" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="185437" data-entity-type="organization">Louisiana State University (LSU) coach Lane Kiffin’s chances of fielding former NFL players improved Thursday night when a Louisiana judge issued a preliminary injunction against the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in a high-profile eligibility case. (AP video shot by: Sophie Bates) 2 of 4 | LSU football head coach Lane Kiffin speaks during a news conference at the LSU Football Operations Facility in Baton Rouge, La., Feb. 4, 2026. (Hilary Scheinuk/The Advocate via AP, File) 3 of 4 | LSU head coach Lane Kiffin watches passing drills during an NCAA college football practice Monday, Aug. 10, 2026, in Baton Rouge, La. (Michael Johnson/The Advocate via AP) 4 of 4 | Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney greets his team before an NCAA college football game against Duke, Nov. 1, 2025, in Clemson, S.C. (AP Photo/Scott Kinser, File) By STEVE REED Updated 9:59 PM MESZ, September 4, 2026 Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Share Share Facebook Copy Link copied Print Email X LinkedIn Bluesky Flipboard Pinterest Reddit The showdown between No. 11 LSU and Clemson was always going to be a showcase Week 1 game given Lane Kiffin’s debut in the bayou. But few could have imagined the discussion surrounding the game would be anything like this. The heated on-field rivalry between two national powerhouses that share a stadium nickname (Death Valley) and mascot (Tigers) has been largely overshadowed by court cases involving NFL players returning to college football to use their final year of eligibility. Matt Moscona, a sports radio talk show host with 104.5 ESPN in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, said the issue has dominated the airwaves this week. He estimates that 10 of the 12 segments on his three-hour talk show on Thursday were devoted to the topic, while only one was about the actual game. He said LSU fans are genuinely worried. Not about Clemson, but about the long-term impact that Kiffin’s desire to recruit and play former NFL players in defiance of SEC rules will have on the football program. “The phrase everyone here is using is, ‘Is the juice worth the squeeze?,’” Moscona said. “Why go through this big public ordeal to add a couple of backup players? Which is what we’re talking about, quite honestly. The overriding sentiment is people are fearful of the punishments.” He said that fear includes speculation that Kiffin might be suspended for ignoring SEC’s stance, or even the Tigers being kicked out of the conference altogether after being a founding member in the early 1930s. Stockton has 3 TD passes and Frazier runs for 3 scores as No. 3 Georgia beats Tennessee State 63-3 Josh Hoover shined in his Hoosiers debut, and he made it look gritty with a busted nose Weigman throws for 305 yards and leads No. 23 Houston to a 33-20 win over Oregon State “People here are wondering if we are really thinking about the long-term ramifications of playing a few backups,” Moscona said. Kiffin recruited two of his former players at Ole Miss — defensive tackle Zxavian Harris and tight end Dae’Quan Wright — after both spent time with NFL clubs this offseason. That stirred up a hornets’ nest, with the Southeastern Conference suing LSU in federal court this week and potentially tainting a partnership dating to the Depression. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google and Terms of Service apply. Several coaches have been outspoken against NFL players returning to college, including Clemson’s Dabo Swinney who called the notion of ex NFL players suiting up on Saturdays “embarrassing” for the sport. All four Power Four conferences last week reiterated their rules against pro players and some outlined stiff penalties including fines and suspensions. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey testified that “the line between professional sports and college sports needs to be maintained,” even in an era where top college players command million-dollar compensation packages through revenue sharing and NIL deals. Kiffin, one of the most outspoken and polarizing figures in college football long before his recruitment of NFL players, sees things a little differently than most in college football. He said he talked with LSU team leaders and all backed the idea of bringing in players who can help the Tigers — whether they tried out for NFL teams or not. He shrugged off the idea that it would wreck any final notion that college is meant for amateur athletes. “This is how it works at the next level,” Kiffin said this week. “This is how the real world works.” Moscona noted that other teams have landed former NFL players including South Carolina, which recently signed kicker Ethan Sanchez after he attended camp with the San Francisco 49ers. He blames for the NCAA for not granting a blanket waiver to allow athletes from the 2022 high school class to return for a fifth year after changing its eligibility model in June. “The problem here is those players would have never left had they known they would have had another year of eligibility,” Moscona said. "... The NCAA did not heed advice that lawsuits would follow. And, the lawsuits have followed. And now it’s awful.” Regardless of what happens, this is clearly not your average high-profile college season opener. LSU has a received a record number of requests — more than 900, according to the school — from media and VIPs. “I think that speaks volumes of the eyeballs on us and people wanting to be around the program and watch the program,” Kiffin said. “All that is important nowadays. No. 1 is winning but after that you have a very marketable program.” AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in Baton Rouge, Louisiana contributed to this report.