The latest Baton Rouge judge’s ruling opened the door for NFL players to return to college. Lane Kiffin spent Wednesday insisting LSU was not getting involved in the courtroom drama. By Thursday, the Tigers were already looking at another player who could benefit from it.
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LSU is working to bring in former Utah CB Blake Cotton, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. Nothing is a done deal yet. There are still eligibility questions to sort out before he can officially join the Tigers. But a “mutual interest” had been brewing since late August.
Blake Cotton spent his first three college seasons at UC Davis before transferring to Utah ahead of the 2025 campaign. He then worked his way into a bigger role, starting eight of 13 games for Kyle Whittingham and the Utes. He finished that season with 30 tackles and seven pass breakups.
Then he moved on to the NFL. Blake Cotton signed with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in June and spent the offseason competing for a roster spot. The franchise released him in August, sending him back onto the market. And Lane Kiffin apparently did not waste much time after a Baton Rouge judge handed LSU and other players a significant opening.
Judge William Jorden granted a preliminary injunction Thursday in a case brought by former college athletes challenging the NCAA’s eligibility rules. The order applies to the athletes named in the lawsuit and prevents the NCAA and SEC from blocking them from pursuing another season under the circumstances at issue. LSU was also included in the injunction, giving the school cover to comply with the ruling.
That’s a big win for Lane Kiffin because two former Ole Miss players, Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, are already trying to return to college after brief NFL stints. Both are now headed toward LSU, but their eligibility has become the center of a legal fight. The first-year Tigers’ head coach had tried to stay away from the noise before Thursday’s hearing, saying, “We don’t put any energy into it.”
Then the situation changed. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey testified for more than three hours during the hearing. He argued that the case was about a situation that college football has not previously dealt with. Wright and Harris gave the court their versions of what happened with their NFL teams.
Wright testified that the Eagles paid him $25,000 before releasing him. Harris said the Saints gave him only $190 to cover gas and that his time with New Orleans largely involved rehabilitation for a foot injury. Now Blake Cotton could become another name in the eligibility fight.
On the football field, getting these guys cleared changes everything for LSU’s 2026 playoff chances. In the tough Southeastern Conference, depth is what keeps a team alive through twelve grueling weeks. Landing Blake Cotton gives the secondary a proven lockdown corner, while adding Wright and Harris immediately fills huge holes at tight end and along the defensive line.
Instead of scrambling to play fresh, inexperienced kids, Kiffin suddenly gets three battle-tested veterans with real pro-camp experience. That instant upgrade transforms LSU from a team rebuilding under a new head coach into a real heavyweight ready to make a deep postseason run.
The judge’s ruling did not suddenly make every former NFL player eligible, though. There are still hurdles, and the injunction is limited to the plaintiffs involved in the case. But Lane Kiffin has never been known for waiting around when an opportunity appears. This one appeared Thursday, and LSU pounced on it.