Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers have truly taken the college football off-season hostage seemingly commanding attention every day. The way that the Tigers fired Brian Kelly and their AD started the never-ending cycle of chaos, and it hasn’t slowed down one bit as LSU has become college football's soap opera.
When Lane Kiffin left the college football world waiting the whole day while he made the decision to leave the Rebels it should’ve become clear the two sides were meant for each other. Kiffin and Ole Miss then poached players from each other in the portal as well as seeing staff members flip between both schools.
With the season nearing, it seemed like the drama in college football may finally come to an end, but Lane Kiffin once again had other ideas.
Jack Pyburn becomes the latest potential NFL defect to commit to LSU
When a ruling was handed down in a Louisiana Court allowing several former college football players a temporary restraining order to return to college football, everyone instantly looked at LSU. The injunction included former Tiger edge rusher Jack Pyburn, who's spent Training Camp with the Buccaneers, which further pointed to LSU being behind the move.
Lane Kiffin and the Tigers acted quickly on the ruling, adding two former Ole Miss Rebels in Dae'Quan Wright, who was in the Browns ' training camp, and Zxavian Harris, who was signed earlier this offseason and released by the Saints.
The move by LSU instantly sparked a chain reaction in college sports to stop teams from adding players who signed professional deals. Each of the Power 4 conferences has since put rules in place to keep teams from trying to roster these players, including the SEC, to stop Lane Kiffin.
NEW: Schools that violate the SEC's professional sports rule will result in:
— On3 (@On3) August 26, 2026
• 50% season suspension for head coaches
• 50% of that sport's annual operating budget
• SEC voting privileges on business matters revoked
(per @walexander) https://t.co/ilGhLr1QS2 https://t.co/DH7x0qXgba pic.twitter.com/Vyv3x8buyW
The chance of potential penalties clearly isn't scaring LSU as many prepare for the next legal fight. On Thursday Night, Lane Kiffin and LSU showed just how little these rules scare them as they will reportedly add former LSU edge rusher Jack Pyburn.
NEW: Tampa Bay Buccaneers EDGE Jack Pyburn will return to LSU if he's not rostered on an NFL roster by September 1, @Jon_Blau reports🐯https://t.co/TYkK8dZp3K pic.twitter.com/3a8GViECS2
— On3 (@On3) August 28, 2026
LSU is clearly operating as if they believe that the judges are going to rule against the SEC for prohibiting these players from playing. The only issue is that the rules are punishing the schools with harsh penalties, but the players are technically still allowed to play college football; it just comes with a penalty.
Jack Pyburn spent his first three seasons at Florida before transferring to LSU for what many thought would be his final season of college football. Last season, Pyburn recorded 51 tackles and a pair of sacks for the Tigers defense.
Where this legal battle goes next is the biggest question as this entire saga has shown no signs of stopping. The crazy part is that the Tigers spared no expense in the Transfer Portal this offseason, so Kiffin easily could've picked actual college football players to fill out his roster instead of creating this headache.
Add us as a preferred source on Google