Lane Kiffin's debut at LSU delayed by lightning as Tigers move ahead without NFL signees

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The much-anticipated first game of the Lane Kiffin era at LSU was delayed by lightning and did not include two NFL signees whose ongoing effort to return to college football has brought a lot of attention — and no shortage of criticism — upon the Tigers' lightning-rod coach.

Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris were left off the roster in advance of Saturday night's game against Clemson in Tiger Stadium, where heavy rain and loud, nearby lightning strikes cleared most of the stadium — except for the ever-raucous student section.

The move to leave Wright and Harris off the roster avoided — or perhaps just delayed — a confrontation with the Southeastern Conference, which had passed a rule banning players who'd signed with NFL teams, only to see that rule put on hold by a court in Louisiana.

Leaving Wright and Harris off the roster “wasn’t easy,” coach Lane Kiffin said Saturday on ESPN's “College GameDay.”

"As much as I feel for the players, and I believe that you fight for what you believe in, and I believe these kids have an opportunity to play just like all the other kids around the country that are winning court cases and being put on rosters.

“But at the same time, I’m the head coach of LSU, and I had to make a decision that is for the big picture of LSU and the LSU football program with the uncertainties of what potentially could have come by adding them to the roster. We couldn’t get exact reasons or exact what that would mean if we added them. So with that, we made the decision which is in the best interest of the team and the university."

Flanked by influencers including former LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, model-actress-influencer Brooks Nader and podcaster Theo Vonn (a Louisiana native), Kiffin was able to lead his players on the “Tiger Walk” down “Victory Hill” and into Tiger Stadium before the rain sarted. A crowd dozens deep along barricades boisterously chanted “L-S-U!, L-S-U!” Others who wanted to get a glimpse of the coach stood on ramps leading up to the LSU's basketball stadium, the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.

“I've never seen that before,” long-time LSU communications director Michael Bonnette said.

As Kiffin walked out of the team bus in a dark suit, he turned to Bonnette and said, “this looks like Mardi Gras,” Bonnette recounted.

Kiffin dapped coveted tight end recruit Ahmad Hudson on his way into the stadium and soon after walked onto the field as the nearby student section roared.

Both Wright and Harris have said they are enrolled at LSU, which means they could be eligible to be added to the roster later. Legal action is ongoing, with the SEC planning an appeal of the Louisiana ruling and also awaiting word on a federal lawsuit it filed Thursday asking the court to force LSU into following its rules banning pro athletes.

The roster decision marked the latest move in a bizarre, wide-ranging disagreement over something most people used to agree on: that players who had moved on to pro sports from college could not return to college.

Under the rules the SEC passed last week that were subsequently shut down by the Louisiana court, the league could suspend coach Lane Kiffin, fine LSU half its football budget and more if it puts Wright and Harris on the roster.

The case stems from a new NCAA rule that granted five seasons of eligibility for players who started college in 2023. Wright, Harris and dozens of others across the country who started in 2022 have filed lawsuits saying they also deserve a fifth year of eligibility.

Embedded within that argument is whether players among that class who tried out for NFL, NBA or WNBA teams should be able to come back to college and play.

“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 said in a statement after Thursday night’s loss in Louisiana court.

In its own statement Friday, LSU said it was reviewing the court’s order and would “continue to work constructively with the SEC and NCAA as this matter moves forward.”

Also chiming in was the College Football Playoff, which came out in support of the rules barring pros from the college gridiron. It wasn't a surprising stance, considering virtually all of CFP management is made up of the same school leaders who adopted the rules.