The SEC has filed an official lawsuit against LSU.
The Tigers, led by first-year head coach Lane Kiffin, are attempting to have former NFL players on their roster.
The conference has filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama against Louisiana State University and head coach Lane Kiffin, according to documents obtained by On3.
In the lawsuit, the SEC requested the court “enter a preliminary and permanent injunction prohibiting Defendants from violating the Conference’s First Amendment rights by compelling the Conference to associate with conduct that is contrary to the Conference’s purpose and mission.”
“Defendants 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,” the SEC said in its complaint, filed Thursday.
Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images.
Kiffin, meanwhile, continues to defend the decision.
“Every one of them was emphatic about, ‘If they can help us win, bring ’em,'” Kiffin told reporters Monday at his weekly news conference, per ESPN. “We understand we have a team that’s practiced together and worked together all offseason, but one of them said, ‘Hey, this is how it works at the next level, and this is how the real world works.’ So that made me feel a little better in the struggle and being torn back and forth.”
LSU is scheduled to open the 2026 college football season on Saturday night against Clemson.
Kiffin’s final roster for 2026 is due to the SEC on Friday. It remains to be seen how this lawsuit will impact LSU’s roster for 2026.
