Lane Kiffin Explains Decision to Leave Dae'Quan Wright, Zxavian Harris Off LSU Roster vs. Clemson

LSU coach Lane Kiffin erred on the side of caution when he chose to keep tight end Dae'Quan Wright and defensive tackle Zxavian Harris off the active roster ahead of the Tigers' opener against Clemson on Saturday.

Kiffin said on College GameDay he considered the "big picture of LSU and the LSU football program" and what was in everyone's "best interest."

A Louisiana judge on Thursday issued an injunction against the NCAA, which seemingly gave LSU the green light to put Wright and Harris on the field.

However, the SEC has filed a separate lawsuit against LSU, with Kiffin listed as one of the defendants, in federal court. Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger reported Friday that Clemson also emailed LSU's general counsel to suggest the Tigers might be in breach of contract if players formerly signed to NFL teams play.

The legal drama has cast a big shadow on the start of the 2026 season.

There are no shortage of on-field storylines surrounding LSU vs. Clemson. Kiffin is approaching his first game after having invested heavily in this year's roster, while Dabo Swinney is in need of a big win with his team unranked in the preseason AP Top 25 for the first time since 2011.

Instead of focusing on that, so much of the buildup has centered around the playing statuses of Wright and Harris.

From a pragmatic standpoint, the longer this drags on the less it's likely to help LSU. It was hard enough to quickly integrate the two players into the squad when they were absent for almost all of the offseason practices. Now, they will have missed at least one game with no clear picture on when they could be activated.

By the time this is resolved once and for all, the window might've closed for Wright and Harris to make a meaningful impact.