Clemson University Head Football Coach Dabo Swinney recently expressed strong disapproval regarding the possibility of former NFL players returning to play college football, describing the situation as a joke and embarrassing. His comments came ahead of Clemson’s season opener against No. 11 LSU on Saturday night, September 5, 2026, a team at the center of the controversy.
Former Cleveland Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright began practicing with LSU this week under first-year head coach Lane Kiffin. However, Wright is not expected to play this week due to the NCAA’s acclimatization protocol. The eligibility of Wright and other players who spent time with NFL clubs this offseason, including defensive lineman Zxavian Harris and defensive back Blake Cotton, remains undecided. All Power Four conferences and three of the Group of Six conferences have prohibited professional players from returning to college football, a stance that has led to court challenges.
Coach Kiffin, who moved to LSU from Ole Miss this offseason, has faced criticism for actively recruiting former NFL players. He defended his decisions by stating they are made in the best interest of the players on his team, not for his own reputation. Kiffin argued that if college players are being compensated like professionals, then college teams should be able to add late roster players, asserting that this reflects how the real world operates.
This position conflicts directly with the SEC’s presidents and chancellors, who passed the rule and reaffirmed their intention to enforce it. Tennessee chancellor Donde Plowman, president of the SEC executive committee, stated the group is united and will not budge on the rule, emphasizing a responsibility to lead during this period of uncertainty.
Swinney clarified he has no issues with Kiffin and does not blame players for seeking to continue their careers after being cut from NFL rosters. However, he voiced frustration with the lack of consistent governance in college football. He remarked that rules are easily circumvented by legal challenges, a situation he never anticipated.
Other coaches, including Texas coach Steve Sarkisian and Northwestern coach David Braun, have echoed similar sentiments. Sarkisian called it morally wrong to displace a college student for a former NFL player, while Braun expressed a desire for a consistent and common-sense roadmap in college football. Beyond former NFL players, college rosters are also seeing additions of players who successfully sued for an extra year of eligibility by challenging the NCAA’s new 5-in-5 rule, which excluded members of the high school Class of 2022. One such player, former Notre Dame defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka, is expected to be available for LSU against Clemson.
Swinney humorously noted that the Clemson staff had to review preseason NFL film to prepare for the upcoming game. He maintained that his focus is on Clemson’s team and that he does not judge other programs’ decisions. He concluded with a playful jab, suggesting that if former Clemson running back Adam Randall, now with the Baltimore Ravens, had been waived, Clemson might have been able to bring him back.
In a related development, the NCAA received a favorable ruling on Tuesday from a judge in South Carolina who denied an injunction for Clemson baseball player Ty Dalley and 17 others who challenged the five-year rule. The NCAA expressed appreciation for the court’s consideration of the potential negative impacts a preliminary injunction would have caused. The organization also advocated for the passage of the Protect College Sports Act, a congressional bill designed to largely shield the NCAA from eligibility lawsuits. The FBS Athletic Directors Association, representing ADs from 134 Division I football schools, sent a letter to the bill’s Senate sponsors, supporting the legislation for its potential to provide clear rights for student-athletes, consistent rules for institutions, and greater certainty for athletics departments.
