Southern’s chances of a season-opening win increased on Thursday.
Coach Marshall Faulk will officially have star defensive end Ckelby Givens available to play in the season opener against Alabama State at 2 p.m. Saturday at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.
Givens has been added as a plaintiff in the ongoing Louisiana lawsuit against the NCAA, aiming to create a fifth year of eligibility for over 30 athletes, according to a new court filing obtained by The Advocate on Thursday.
Before the edge rusher was officially brought on to the lawsuit, Faulk said, “to my knowledge,” Givens is eligible and playing. The first-year coach is excited to bring back the proven star.
“When we found out that he was coming back, I was like, ‘Man, you know, if we could just get this guy, let’s just say five to 10 plays a game right now, just to kind of bring him up to speed,’” the Pro Football Hall of Famer said. “He immediately steps on the field and guys like that who work hard, who every play they bring and give you everything that they have, is just amazing.”
Givens wasn’t initially among the athletes listed in the Pyburn v. NCAA lawsuit that granted players a temporary restraining order, making them eligible to compete in the 2026-27 academic year. An assistant counsel representing the athletes in the case is attorney Tony Clayton, who is also the board chair of the Southern University Board of Supervisors.
Southern’s fifth-year star was previously made eligible by a class-wide, federal injunction out of Colorado, but that order was later stayed by an appellate court.
Givens, a 6‑foot‑2, 245‑pound defensive end, would be a monumental addition for Southern. He has been one of the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s most dominant players over the past three seasons.
In 2024, he was named HBCU Defensive Player of the Year, SWAC co‑Defensive Player of the Year, a second‑team FCS All‑American and a Buck Buchanan Award finalist after leading the FCS with 27½ tackles for loss and finishing third with 12 sacks. Despite Southern’s struggles in 2025, he again led the SWAC with 18½ tackles for loss and 9½ sacks.
Southern defensive line coach Kyle Kramer said that he’s confident Givens can return to football shape and be a significant contributor. It’s not guaranteed that the Shreveport native will be starting in the team’s season opener against Alabama State at 2 p.m. on Aug. 29 in Birmingham, Alabama.
“His resume speaks for itself,” Kramer said on Aug. 20. “If he is as good as he was in the last few years, he’ll have the same effect. He’ll be something to deal with on the football field.”
After Givens went undrafted in the 2026 NFL draft, he accepted an invitation to the Buffalo Bills rookie minicamp and then returned to Southern as a graduate assistant.
The next hearing in the Louisiana eligibility lawsuit is scheduled for Monday to determine whether all the athletes, including LSU commits who previously signed NFL contracts, will receive a preliminary injunction against the NCAA and the Southeastern Conference, which implemented new rules against players rostered by pro leagues. The latest filing also includes SEC commissioner Greg Sankey as a defendant.
