CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson coach Dabo Swinney likes Lane Kiffin, and he doesn’t blame any player or program for taking advantage of something the system allows them to do.
But he still has plenty of thoughts about LSU and Kiffin trying to add a number of former NFL players to their roster ahead of Saturday’s season opener.
“Honestly, it’s just embarrassing that that’s where we are,” Swinney said Tuesday. “... We have no rules. There’s no governance. It’s a joke.”
Kiffin’s team has drawn national scrutiny for attempting to sign at least two former NFL preseason players who’ve sued the NCAA, arguing they should retroactively be awarded a fifth year of eligibility under new “5 for 5” guidance.
If a high-profile court hearing goes its way on Thursday, LSU could wind up adding at least three more players to its 2026 roster while other SEC schools are reportedly furious and considering “unprecedented” action against LSU in response.
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Swinney spoke extensively about the drama during his weekly Tuesday news conference ahead of Clemson’s Week 1 game at LSU (7:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC).
“Rarely am I at a loss for words,” Swinney said, “but I’m kind of at a loss of words.”
Breaking down LSU’s late roster drama
LSU is trying to add former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright (Browns) and former Ole Miss defensive lineman Zxavian Harris (Saints) to its 2026 roster.
Both players are Class of 2022 athletes who played four seasons of college football without redshirting, including for Kiffin at Ole Miss, and briefly pursued NFL careers post-grad. They were both fringe pro players who were on teams’ preseason rosters.
LSU also brought in former Notre Dame edge rusher Junior Tuihalamaka, another Class of 2022 athlete who earned a court injunction for a retroactive fifth year.
Tuihalamaka’s situation is less controversial because, per his representatives, he never signed an NFL contract. Dozens of schools and programs across the country (including Clemson men’s basketball) have signed athletes in similar situations.
But LSU’s attempt to add players who were participating in NFL training camps and suiting up for preseason games within the past month is a different story.
Along with Wright and Harris, LSU has reportedly shown interest in former Utah cornerback Blake Cotton (Broncos). The Tigers were also trying to bring back former LSU defensive end Jack Pyburn (Buccaneers) before he was claimed on waivers by the Chiefs earlier this week. Pyburn now intends to pursue a pro career.
“It’s hard. ... We’ve been spending the last week or so studying the Browns and the Cowboys and the Saints and the Bucs, trying to get ready,” Swinney said.
Swinney said in early June he watched the Browns practice as a guest of former Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, who’s now in Cleveland. Wright, the former Ole Miss tight end and 2025 All-SEC second teamer, was also there.
“So I’m probably going to get turned in for tampering,” Swinney said. “I wish I’d have known. I’d have paid a little more attention. But yeah, it’s crazy.”
Swinney took another jab at LSU and Kiffin on his Monday night radio show while discussing former Clemson running back Adam Randall, now with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens. Randall is also a Class of 2022 athlete.
“Wish we would’ve had him back,” Swinney said of Randall. “Maybe if they would’ve waived him, we would’ve gotten Adam back. That’d have been nice.”
Dabo: ‘Zero rules’ in college football
Wright and Harris were among 16 players who were granted a temporary restraining order against the NCAA in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Aug. 19, allowing them to play a fifth year. The SEC quickly adopted a rule banning teams from signing pro athletes in response, but it’s unclear if they can legally enforce it.
A court hearing on Thursday in Louisiana should provide clarity on if the NCAA and/or the SEC can enforce its rules blocking pro players against plaintiffs covered by the temporary restraining order. The hearing is set for noon in the 19th Judicial District Court in the parish of East Baton Rouge near LSU’s campus.
Kiffin said Monday that Wright, the Ole Miss tight end, and Tuihalamaka, the Notre Dame edge rusher, were practicing. He didn’t directly address Harris’ status.
LSU’s coach said his team will follow whatever guidance they get from the judge in the case as well as the SEC. If they’re legally allowed to roster the players, they will.
Swinney used the word “embarrassing” four times while discussing the situation.
“There’s zero rules, and when you enforce rules, somebody just goes and finds a judge to say, ‘No, you can’t enforce that rule,’ ” Swinney said.
Even though he made multiple jabs at LSU and Kiffin on Tuesday, Swinney said he’s not frustrated by the situation and has lost “zero sleep” over it.
He and Clemson can only control what they can control, Swinney said, and that’s getting prepared to face a talented LSU team regardless of who’s on the roster.
“No pun intended: We kind of just stay in our lane here at Clemson,” he said.
