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Lane Kiffin Comments On Why LSU Tigers Are Recruiting Class of 2022 Transfers
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- Lane Kiffin Comments On Why LSU Tigers Are Recruiting Class of 2022 Transfers
(Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)
The LSU Tigers were once again the talk of the college football world this past weekend as they added a couple of new players, with one of them having already signed an NFL contract.
For head coach Lane Kiffin, this is just another opportunity to take advantage. The Tigers have shown they won't leave any stone unturned when it comes to winning, so it shouldn't be surprising that they're part of this process.
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Former Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive end Junior Tuihalamaka and Ole Miss Rebels tight end Dae'Quan Wright were both part of a recent Louisiana court ruling that granted a handful of athletes a temporary restraining order against the NCAA, allowing them to return to college and transfer. Both players were a part of the recruiting class of 2022, which is now giving officials headaches.
Wilson Alexander of On3 spoke with Kiffin, who provided this response as to why LSU is recruiting these players:
"Because of these rulings, they're either going to play for you, or they're going to play somewhere else around the country. We made a decision to recruit them, like probably most people are."
The Class of 2022 college recruits in all sports have caused a lot of confusion and chaos due to arguments about their fifth year of eligibility. This is a one-time issue that was caused by the constantly changing policies to adapt to the new NIL era and the COVID-19 fifth season that the classes before them got. The later classes already get this fifth year, so there will be no confusion.
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The courts' basic argument for letting these NFL players come back is that there were no other options at the time. So now, there is this confusion around Wright, and there will be a few more players. The pathway is there to help make these teams better right away. With lofty expectations in year one, Kiffin has no time to waste before trying to win his first National Championship.
In Wright, the Tigers get someone who had 39 catches for 635 yards and five touchdowns last year for the Rebels to a tight end room that already had Trey'Dez Green. There was some solid depth behind Green, but now they have a star who knows this offense well and just got to spend the entire offseason working in the NFL.
Tuihalamaka, similarly, massively improves LSU's depth at defensive end. After losing Gabriel Reliford for the year back in the Spring , the Tigers were going to need to rely on young players and linebackers switching positions for depth. Instead, they add a defensive end with College Football Playoff experience.
