LSU dominated the first half of Lane Kiffin’s first game against Clemson on Saturday night at Tiger Stadium. As the Tigers carried a 31-3 lead into the locker room, Kiffin ended his interview with ESPN’s Holly Rowe with a line that raised some eyebrows.
“We’ve got to play better in the second half. We can’t give away something like the first turnover, man, this should be — whatever, 38-nothing,” Kiffin said, before walking back to the microphone as Rowe thanked him for his time. “Imagine if we had pro players.”
The line, of course, is a response to all the criticism pointed at Kiffin and his LSU program for trying to add three former NFL rookies to the roster: Dae’Quan Wright, Zxavian Harris and Blake Cotton. The former Ole Miss coach has argued that the former pros would have been eligible to play in college this season after a new rule granted a fifth year of eligibility to high school Class of 2022 graduates.
“Imagine if we had pro players.” 😅
Lane Kiffin is not holding back. pic.twitter.com/OzHEZqw1UW
— ESPN (@espn) September 6, 2026
The SEC pushed back on it, and Clemson reportedly told LSU officials the participation of former pros would breach the two programs’ contract to play the game. After Clemson’s reported contact with LSU, Kiffin decided not to add Wright, Harris and Cotton to the roster.
LSU does have former Notre Dame defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka on the team, however. Tuihalamaka declared for the 2026 NFL Draft, but went undrafted and never signed a contract with an NFL team.
