LSU head coach Lane Kiffin is continuing to push back against the Big Ten and SEC amid criticism for recruiting tight end Dae'Quan Wright and defensive lineman Zxavian Harris, both of whom spent time in NFL training camps this summer.
Appearing Tuesday on the "Pat McAfee Show," Kiffin challenged statements from the SEC and Big Ten suggesting that players with NFL experience shouldn't be allowed to return to college football, despite a Louisiana judge's injunction permitting the move.
"Over 100 athletes in multiple sports were cleared and said you could go play. That's a court order," Kiffin said. "If you think back on all the different court orders of great players that were granted - whether that's Diego Pavia or, now, Trinidad (Chambliss) that were allowed to play a sixth year, we followed all court orders. I think you get into a really interesting situation as a conference if you're now saying, 'Well, we're not going to follow this court order.' These kids that a court says can go anywhere, we're going to say, 'No, you can't.'"
Kiffin noted that he generally isn't in favor of players who've been part of NFL rosters returning to college football. However, he argued this case is different, as the 2022 recruiting class wasn't informed about a potential fifth year of eligibility before entering the NFL draft.
Earlier Tuesday, the Big Ten unanimously approved a rule prohibiting its schools from recruiting players who declared for the NFL draft and didn't withdraw before the deadline, appeared on an NFL roster, or had signed a contract with a pro league.
Kiffin acknowledged that he expected LSU to face scrutiny for recruiting former pro players when Wright shared his interest. Still, he insisted that his program is being mischaracterized, as multiple other schools also pursued Wright.
"When he decided to choose us, I said, 'Get ready, guys, this is going to be Lane Kiffin and LSU doing something nobody else is doing,'" Kiffin said.
