LSU leaves Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris off Week 1 roster despite court ruling in Tigers' favor

When LSU takes the field against Clemson on Saturday, Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris will not be with the team. Both players — who were subject to various legal challenges over their eligibility — were left off LSU's Week 1 roster when the team submitted it to the SEC on Friday, according to ESPN.

After various arguments and legal filings, LSU earned a major victory Thursday , as a judge ruled in favor of Harris and Wright against the SEC. In doing so, the judge paved the way for LSU to include both players on its 2026 roster, even though that would go against the SEC's wishes.

But despite that court ruling, LSU ultimately decided not to risk the ire of the SEC or other conference members, leaving Harris and Wright off the roster. For now. The players can still be added to the roster at any point during the season since they are already enrolled at the university. LSU has two open roster spots.

A lawsuit — filed by the SEC against LSU and head coach Lane Kiffin on Thursday — may have influenced the school's decision. In it, the conference argued both LSU and Kiffin "waged a deliberate and coordinated campaign to recruit professional athletes to play football for LSU during the 2026-27 season, including players who had signed NFL contracts with the Cleveland Browns, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers."

In the lawsuit, the SEC asked to be allowed to enforce its First Amendment rights to tell members to comply with its rules. In an attempt to prevent players with professional experience returning to college, the SEC and various other conferences adopted a policy in August that would ban the practice.

But, crucially, that policy did not apply to Harris and Wright, who had already received a temporary-restraining order from a judge, allowing them to return to college in 2026. In the aftermath of the SEC's attempt to ban the tactic, Kiffin initially said LSU would comply with that ruling . But as it became clear Harris' and Wright's situation was not as clear cut, Kiffin said he would wait and see how Thursday's ruling turned out before making a call.

That decision opened the door for Kiffin to add both Harris and Wright to LSU's roster Friday night if the school wanted to test the conference. Both players have experience in the NFL, as Harris signed with the New Orleans Saints in May, and Wright saw time with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns before they were cut and signed with LSU.

While it seemed like Kiffin wanted both players on his roster during the legal process, he (or LSU) apparently decided it wasn't smart to go against the SEC at the last second given everything that has unfolded this week.

As part of Thursday's ruling, the judge " enjoined LSU from taking action to prevent the players from competing ," per Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger. Leaving Harris and Wright off the roster could lead to future legal battles if their absence continues for weeks.

Had Harris and Wright been put on LSU's roster, the school would have potentially faced retaliation — or more legal challenges — from the SEC or its members, which were reportedly furious over LSU's attempt to use pro players.