LSU will kick off its 2026 NCAA college football season under head coach Lane Kiffin on Saturday night. The Tigers are set to host Clemson at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. This matchup marks an exciting beginning for both teams as they look to establish momentum for the season ahead.
However, a major talking point ahead of the matchup has been Kiffin’s decision to leave two former NFL players off LSU’s roster for the Clemson game.
LSU submitted a roster with 103 players, leaving two spots available. Because of the uncertainty surrounding the legal and regulatory situation involving the two players, the LSU coach said he had to consider the broader interests of the program.
“With the uncertainties of what potentially could have come by adding them to the roster and we couldn’t get exact reasons or exactly what that would mean if we added them, so with that made the decision which is in the best interest of the team,” the 51-year-old coach said. Kiffin added that the potential consequences of putting the players on the roster remained unclear, leading him to make what he described as the decision in the team’s best interest. LSU’s decision came after Clemson reportedly warned the Tigers that using Wright or Harris in Saturday night’s game could potentially violate the agreement between the two schools.
Wright had also been practicing with the team before the season opener.
