LSU Football News

Lane Kiffin Adds Late Help Before Clemson—but Dae’Quan Wright Still Must Be Cleared

by
The Who Dat Daily Staff
2026-08-24

Notre Dame edge rusher Junior Tuihalamaka has committed to LSU, while former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright is attempting an unprecedented move from an NFL roster back to college football.

By Gee Bino | The Who Dat Daily
August 24, 2026

Lane Kiffin is still building LSU’s roster with the season opener less than two weeks away.

The Tigers have added former Notre Dame edge rusher Junior Tuihalamaka, a fifth-year veteran who received another season of eligibility through a Louisiana court ruling. LSU also has an agreement with former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright, who is being waived by the Cleveland Browns and plans to return to college if he clears NFL waivers and satisfies conference eligibility requirements.

Both additions could help LSU before its September 5 home opener against Clemson. They are not identical situations, however.

Browns tight end Dae’Quan Wright is poised to do something that once would have been unthinkable: Leave the NFL and go play for LSU. https://t.co/EkLwriqDv0
— LSU Football Report (@LSUReport) August 23, 2026

Tuihalamaka has committed and is eligible under the temporary court order that includes him. Wright’s situation remains more complicated because he was under an NFL contract and is attempting to transfer between SEC programs outside the conference’s standard portal window.

The accurate headline is not that both players are guaranteed to face Clemson. It is that Kiffin is aggressively trying to add two experienced pieces while the legal and conference processes continue moving.

The court ruling created an unusual late roster window

Tuihalamaka and Wright were among a group of players from the 2022 recruiting class who challenged the NCAA’s new eligibility structure.

The NCAA adopted a five-seasons-in-five-years model for athletes beginning their careers in 2023, eliminating the traditional redshirt framework for that group. Players who began in 2022 were not automatically included. Several of those players filed suit, arguing that they should receive the same fifth-season opportunity.

A Louisiana judge granted temporary relief to 16 named players, opening a short transfer window and allowing them to pursue another college season while the larger legal fight continues.

That ruling created LSU’s opportunity to add Tuihalamaka. It also opened the door for Wright to consider leaving the NFL pipeline and reuniting with Kiffin.

The situation remains fluid because a temporary restraining order is not a final ruling on the merits. LSU must build its plan around the eligibility that exists today while understanding that additional legal and conference questions may follow.

Junior Tuihalamaka gives LSU badly needed edge depth

Tuihalamaka is the cleaner and more immediate football addition.

The 6-foot-2, 255-pound defender appeared in 54 games over four seasons at Notre Dame, recording 61 tackles, nine tackles for loss, four sacks, two pass breakups, two fumble recoveries and an interception. He has played as both a linebacker and defensive end, giving LSU experience at a position weakened by Gabe Reliford’s spring ACL injury.

Those numbers do not describe an elite pass-rushing star. They describe a mature rotational defender who understands high-level assignments, can set an edge and has played meaningful snaps in major games.

That distinction matters.

LSU does not need Tuihalamaka to transform the defense in 12 days. The Tigers need him to supply dependable snaps, protect younger edge players from being overworked and give defensive coordinator Blake Baker another option against Clemson’s run and play-action packages.

His late arrival limits how much of the defensive system he can absorb. Early responsibilities should be simple: set the edge, rush from defined alignments, play special teams and avoid assignment errors.

If he handles those jobs, the addition will immediately strengthen LSU’s depth.

Dae’Quan Wright could make college football history

Wright’s path is unprecedented.

The 6-foot-4, 246-pound tight end played at Virginia Tech and Ole Miss before signing with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent. Philadelphia waived him, and he later joined Cleveland. The Browns are now waiving him, and his agents told ESPN that he has an agreement to play for LSU if he clears waivers.

Wright did not play a regular-season NFL snap. He warmed up before Cleveland’s preseason game but did not enter the game. Therefore, describing him as a former NFL player can be misleading. He was an NFL signee attempting to return to college before playing in an NFL game.

His 2025 production explains Kiffin’s interest. Wright caught 39 passes for 635 yards and five touchdowns at Ole Miss, earning second-team All-SEC recognition. He already understands Kiffin and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.’s terminology, route concepts and expectations.

That familiarity could shorten the learning curve considerably.

Wright would give LSU another proven receiving tight end alongside Trey’Dez Green. The Tigers could use both in heavy formations, detach either player into the slot and create difficult decisions for linebackers and safeties. Against Clemson, two-tight-end personnel could also help the Tigers protect quarterback Sam Leavitt without sacrificing receiving ability.

The talent fit is obvious. The eligibility fit is not.

The SEC transfer rule remains the major obstacle

Wright last played college football at Ole Miss. SEC rules generally prohibit an athlete from transferring between conference programs outside the designated portal period and immediately competing unless the conference grants relief or a court order overrides the restriction.

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey has maintained that the conference’s intraconference-transfer rules remain in effect. That means clearing NFL waivers and receiving NCAA eligibility may not be enough by themselves.

LSU could seek a conference waiver, challenge the restriction or wait for additional legal clarity. Until that happens, Wright should not be presented as a guaranteed Week 1 participant.

There is also a practical football issue. Even with his familiarity with Kiffin’s system, Wright would arrive only days before LSU shifts fully into Clemson preparation. Conditioning, medical clearance, timing with Leavitt and knowledge of LSU-specific checks will determine whether he can contribute immediately.

Kiffin may have acquired an excellent late-season weapon. That does not mean Wright will be ready for 50 snaps against Clemson.

What the additions mean for Clemson

Tuihalamaka is more likely to play a defined role in the opener because his eligibility status is clearer and LSU has an immediate need on the edge. A limited package of defensive and special-teams snaps would be realistic.

Wright’s value against Clemson depends on administrative clearance and onboarding time. If available, he could be used in a small package of formations he already knows from Ole Miss—red-zone concepts, play-action routes and two-tight-end sets. Expecting him to master the complete LSU offense before September 5 would be unreasonable.

Clemson must still account for the possibility. Defensive staffs prepare for personnel as much as individual plays. Wright’s potential presence forces Clemson to consider how it would defend Green and Wright together, even if LSU uses that grouping only a handful of times.

That preparation cost has value.

Big Q’s Take

Kiffin deserves credit for searching every legal avenue to improve LSU’s roster, but these moves should not be oversold.

Tuihalamaka is a smart depth addition. He has played 54 college games and fills a real need after Reliford’s injury. His role can be kept simple enough to help quickly.

Wright is the higher-upside addition and the more complicated one. His experience in Kiffin’s offense makes the football fit unusually clean, but NFL waivers, SEC rules and the calendar all stand between an agreement and meaningful snaps against Clemson.

The bigger concern is continuity. LSU has spent months building roles and chemistry. Late additions should strengthen the established roster, not disrupt players who completed the full offseason. Kiffin must manage that balance carefully.

Aggressiveness is useful. Chemistry still wins football games.

Why It Matters

LSU opens against a ranked Clemson team with playoff expectations. One injury or weak position group can shape an entire opener, particularly along the line of scrimmage.

Tuihalamaka gives the defense experience and insurance. Wright could give the offense another matchup weapon while creating one of the most unusual eligibility stories in college football history.

The two additions also show how quickly college roster construction is changing. Transfer windows, NIL contracts, court orders and professional opportunities now intersect in ways that would have been unthinkable only a few seasons ago.

Kiffin is trying to stay ahead of that movement. The next question is whether the rules—and the calendar—allow LSU to benefit immediately.

Prediction: Tuihalamaka plays a limited rotational role against Clemson. If Wright receives every required clearance, he gets a smaller Week 1 package than the excitement surrounding his name suggests.

Confidence level: 68%

Gee Bino is a senior writer and columnist for The Who Dat Daily, covering the New Orleans Saints, Pelicans, LSU athletics and the Gulf South sports landscape. Follow The Who Dat Daily for daily news, analysis and exclusive team coverage.