According to sources who spoke to ESPN’s Pete Thamel on Tuesday, LSU is adding two players to complete its 105-man roster for the 2026 season, ruling out the program’s potential addition of former NFL rookies Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris.
According to sources who spoke to Thamel, the Tigers are adding two returning players to the roster: defensive end Gabriel Reliford and cornerback Aidan Anding.
Anding is starting his second season with the Tigers, while Reliford is in his third. Due to injuries sustained in the spring, both were left off the 105-man roster prior to LSU’s season opener, a 51-10 victory over Clemson on Saturday.
The ruling indicates that LSU coach Lane Kiffin and the school are letting go of their attempts to add Wright and Harris, a matter that has turned into a major legal spat between the SEC and the school.
Wright and Harris’ attorney, Ryan Downton, told ESPN that the players are thinking about their legal options.
Regarding LSU’s possible plans to add former NFL players, the SEC launched a federal complaint against the university last week, which it modified on Tuesday. The league announced that its presidents and chancellors will meet on Thursday to decide whether to revoke LSU’s SEC membership.
Earlier on Tuesday, the SEC released the following statement:
“The SEC 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,”
“A commitment to those rules, and to the core principles of the Southeastern Conference, is an essential element of SEC membership.”
“Today’s filing is necessary to defend that right and preserve the Conference’s ability to govern competition among its members.”
Although Wright and Harris signed with NFL teams earlier this year as undrafted free agents, a Louisiana judge last week gave them permission to return for their fifth year of college and transfer to LSU. Last year, both were members of Kiffin’s Ole Miss team. Wright stated that he anticipated playing against Clemson after spending two days practicing with the team.
