Us or them: Kiffin defends pursuit of NFL players

LSU coach Lane Kiffin defended his decision to pursue NFL rookies seeking a fifth year of playing college football, arguing he's just one of many coaches currently recruiting players who've been granted injunctions to make an unpreceded return to school. "At the end of the day, because of these rulings, they're either going to play for you or they're going to play for someone else around the country," Kiffin said at a news conference Monday. "So we've made the decision to recruit them like probably most people are." The Tigers have an agreement in place to add former Ole Miss tight end Dae'Quan Wright once he clears waivers in the NFL, agents Drew Rosenhaus and Kyle Lincoln told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Sunday. Wright was waived by the Cleveland Browns on Monday after suiting up not but playing in their second preseason game on Saturday. LSU has also secured a commitment from former Ole Miss defensive lineman Zxavian Harris, who confirmed via Instagram Story on Monday that he was making a "business decision" to head to Baton Rouge after he was waived by the New Orleans Saints earlier this month. The Tigers picked up another commitment from former Notre Dame defensive end Junior Tuihalamaka on Friday. Kiffin wasn't ready to get into specifics about any of the players LSU is recruiting and declined to address how the SEC's intraconference transfer rules might impact these additions. Wright, Harris and Tuihalamaka were among the 16 college football players who were granted a temporary restraining order last week in a Louisiana court that permitted them to return to college for a fifth year of eligibility and enter the NCAA transfer portal explore their options. Wright and his fellow plaintiffs played four college seasons and went pro under the belief that they had exhausted their eligibility. The NCAA adopted a new aged-based eligibility model in June that grants athletes up to five years of eligibility within five years, but the new rules did not grandfather in athletes who began their careers in 2022-23. "In my opinion, knowing the information, I think it's really wrong to be critical of these kids," Kiffin said. "They were granted a fifth year by a judge saying that they were wronged by the NCAA and that they should've had the fifth year all along like all the kids moving forward will have a fifth year." More than a dozen former FBS players have entered their names in the transfer portal thanks to these temporary restraining orders, and several more members of the Louisiana suit are expected to do the same if they're cut by NFL teams this week. "In general, should NFL players come back to college? I believe -- it doesn't matter necessarily what I believe -- that answer would be no," Kiffin said. "I think every circumstance should be looked at differently." On Saturday, Browns coach Todd Monken said Kiffin attempted to reach out to him a week ago, presumably regarding Wright, but he did not call Kiffin back. Kiffin said Monday he does not know Monken and does not have his phone number. "I found that interesting because there's some inaccuracies in that story," Kiffin said. "But I don't know, maybe someone else called them that said they were me." LSU has reloaded its roster ahead of Kiffin's debut season in Baton Rouge with more than 40 incoming transfers for a squad that ranks No. 11 in the preseason AP Top 25 poll. The Tigers open their season on Sept. 5 against Clemson. Kiffin didn't offer hints Monday on when he'd expect the fifth-year players to join the program and begin practicing. He also offered no apologies for trying to win these battles for proven players who he says are being recruited by "a lot of coaches around the country." "I believe that my job is to LSU and the LSU people that hired me and the fans," Kiffin said.