LSU has opted not to roster two players who signed NFL preseason contracts.
On Tuesday night, LSU added two more players to its roster: cornerback Aiden Anding and defensive end Gabriel Reliford, a source confirmed to Front Office Sports. With the additions, LSU has reached 105 players on their roster, the maximum number of allowable roster spots.
The Tigers roster is now locked in for the season without Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, the two players who had signed NFL preseason contracts and who were at the center of the fierce legal battle between LSU and the SEC.
The decision comes after the SEC escalated its lawsuit against LSU earlier on Tuesday, and stated in court documents that it would hold an SEC presidents vote on Thursday to expel LSU from the conference altogether.
LSU’s roster move ends the uncertainty surrounding whether they will roster these specific ex-NFL players this season. But it’s unclear if the decision will be enough to end the litigation, given that the SEC appears to be using the situation as a test of whether it can enforce conference rules—and therefore answer an existential question in college sports.
