The decision making that occurred in bringing Lane Kiffin to LSU, and later to bring back Will Wade in one of the ugliest exits from a program to go back to a program, will be the thing of legends and documentaries once the dust settles. More than anything else, it will possibly make history as case law in litigating modern sports roster management.
First in basketball:
Why, might you ask? Well:
RJ Luis just took a major step forward in spending the 2026-27 season in Baton Rouge. On Monday, a Louisiana judge granted Luis an injunction, On3’s Pete Nakos has confirmed. Luis now has an avenue to play for Will Wade and the LSU Tigers with an additional year of eligibility.
This is another example of a member of the 2022 recruiting class using the legal system to get back into college athletics. Luis spent three seasons at two different schools, initially suiting up for UMass. But after a year there, he opted to play for Rick Pitino at St. John’s.
Luis thought his college basketball career was over, entering the 2025 NBA Draft. He did not get selected but signed a two-way contract with the Utah Jazz. A stint out West did not last too long, as Luis was traded to the Boston Celtics in August. Unfortunately, just over two months later, he got waived.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey files affidavit against RJ Luis
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey filed an affidavit in an eligibility case involving LSU and former St. John’s star RJ Luis. Sankey called Luis’ attempt to play for the Tigers “a competitive disadvantage and fundamental unfairness,” per ESPN’s Pete Thamel.
“These rules are grounded in the principle that athletics are an integral part of the academic experience,” Sankey wrote. “The rules align the time permitted for college athletics with the pursuit of an undergraduate education and further the important purpose of preserving opportunities for future student-athletes to participate in college sports.”
This is a move we have seen from Sankey before. Back when Alabama was going through the Charles Bediako situation, he opposed Nate Oats getting the big man on his roster. In the end, Bediako was ruled ineligible and his time in Tuscaloosa came to an end.
To date, the rumor has it that Luis would be Wade’s fifth player to join the program.
And he only has five. Like five members on the team, opting to go against the traditional recruiting and transfer route and trying to field a roster of nothing more that former pros to play in the SEC.
It’s certainly a strategy, no? At some point, one has to wonder if LSU is doing nothing more than saying “hey, NCAA, you screwed this up, and we’re going to make a mockery of it until you decide to get a backbone again”. Honestly, I can’t hardly blame them.
Meanwhile, aside from Lane’s decision to bring former pros and Ole Miss players to Baton Rouge, he now is making the news for how the Ole Miss administration had to treat the facilities after his departure.
When Lane Kiffin left Ole Miss for LSU in the middle of a College Football Playoff run, the Rebels did not just change their locks, and erase their white boards and their group texts while the dust settled. They also called the FBI.
Grove Collective executive director Walker Jones laid out the whole thing on the Assorted Crackers podcast, and it is the kind of story that tells you exactly how much trust was left in the building by the time Kiffin was out the door.
“We actually had the FBI come through and walk the building for bugs and for everything,” Jones said. “We knew kind of what was in Baton Rouge, and we knew how they operated.”
Jones said he checked under his own desk for recording devices. The staff ran two separate text threads, held separate meetings, and cut back on hallway conversations to keep information from leaking to the coaches who were either on their way to LSU or considering making the move alongside Kiffin. That certainly is not standard operating procedure for a program getting ready to play in the Playoff.
Kiffin’s antics are having wide-sweeping effects. As of writing this, the B1G and the SEC are meeting to discuss the ramifications of the pros-to-college movement, with the B1G reportedly taking a firm stand of prohibiting this in the conference, with the SEC (naturally) following suite and matching the B1G’s approach and energy with this matter today.
Which is better? The billable hours or the entertainment hours that has come of this?
Somehow, Nick Saban isn’t just looking like a grumpy old man who had his secret sauce stolen in the NIL/Transfer Portal era. Looks like he was right, that this was going to be the outcome of all this in the first place.
If we are dumping on LSU (and I’m all for it), don’t forget that Kim Mulkey just brought in a new player from Russia while already having a veteran player from Ukraine on her roster. The Ukrainian said “personal reasons” and has left the program. According to Mulkey, “Know that what I have to do in this business, I cannot make a decision to not recruit somebody that can help our program because of a conflict between two countries.” The LSU athletic department is populated with some shitty people.
Mulkey mania!
Nobody took ass whippings like the Mulkies.
Remember way back when it was a bit of a scandal that Kiffin was recruiting and offering 7th graders. Now he’s recruiting players who have 7th graders.
Hey Lane is playing the long game here. After all, that 7th grader is going to develop into a D1 grade athlete who can play 5-7 at between 3-5 colleges, have a cup of coffee with the NFL, CFL, USFL, and Arena ball before deciding to go back to college where LSU and Laner will be selling them on all the good things he and staff for his dad.
I don’t blame Lane and LSU for taking advantage of the wild west here, but FTMF and the gator they rode in on. This is just slimy. I realize you can do this, but should you.
The more big whatever and sec act like they’re attempting to conform, the more the sec is headed to a 10 game conference schedule….GO DAWGS!!
LSU is operating in an administrative power vacuum and even so, just reeks like a total rogue outfit. This professionals going back to college phenomenon needs to be nipped in the bud…..quickly. I think Monken summed it up about as succinctly as can be said.
Isn’t Texas doing the same thing with lineman?
What has happened with Sankey . Does he have his head in the sand.
Show some balls & follow the BIG 10.
The previous Supreme Court ruling allowed individual conferences to establish their own rules.
Lane just wanting another crack at coaching a pro team.
So, the SEC is “Seriously considering” banning LSU? LMAO. What horseshit.
Just give ’em a good talking to, Greg. That’ll fix it and make your impotent organization feel better.
Looks like they called Freshwater’s bluff.