Why Clemson Will Face a Problem Bigger Than Football in Week 1 Against LSU

It’s fair to say that the state of college athletics is unstable, and the national eye saw it once again ahead of the Clemson Tigers’ matchup with No. 11 LSU this weekend to open the year.

Perhaps legal issues have taken the headlines more than the actions on the field, and another chapter of that saga continues on Thursday. A Louisiana judge granted an injunction that gave NCAA eligibility for more than 40 athletes. That group contains former pro athletes, and at least two will return to LSU this weekend.

NEW: Former Browns TE Dae'Quan Wright, Saints DL Zxavian Harris and several others have been granted a preliminary injunction against the NCAA and SEC, @walexander reports.

Wright and Harris are currently eligible to play for LSU, if the Tigers decide to roster them.… pic.twitter.com/neieZRSw5a
— On3 (@On3) September 4, 2026

Former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright was playing for the Cleveland Browns in the NFL preseason just two weeks ago. Now, he’s planning to play against Clemson on Saturday night at Tiger Stadium, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. The same goes for former Ole Miss and Saints defensive tackle Zxavien Harris, who joined the program with Wright in mid-August.

LSU head coach Lane Kiffin took advantage of the ruling, which any program could’ve done as well, but is expected to have both players ready to go for Week 1 of the 2026 season. This means that Clemson should see both former NFL players donning a different set of tiger stripes this weekend.

Head coach Dabo Swinney spoke about it earlier this week, expressing his disappointment with where the state of college athletics has gone.

“I would just say it’s kind of embarrassing,” he said on Tuesday. “I mean, honestly, it’s just embarrassing that’s where we are, and I don’t blame the kids and people trying to take advantage of the system.”

Clemson is simply focused on itself as a team, which Swinney repeated throughout the week despite the drama that is going on in the Bayou throughout the last few weeks. The Tigers' head coach has prepared for everything, watching programs from Ole Miss to Arizona State to the NFL preseason.

“I don’t blame people for trying to take advantage of whatever somebody says they can do, but yeah,” Swinney said. “I think it’s pretty self-explanatory.”

On Thursday, the SEC also sued LSU due to the successful attempt to bring an NFL player to this roster. However, with under 48 hours to go until the game in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the court verdict cemented what Clemson will experience this weekend. Whether ethical or not, it will see players who were playing for professional football teams throughout the summer.

Now, only the result on the field will reflect the good and evil of the sport.

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