SEC Shorts Roasts LSU Over Recruiting Former NFL Players

(BATON ROUGE, LA) - College football has changed so much in the last few years that sometimes all you can really do is laugh about it. Thankfully, that's exactly what the folks at SEC Shorts are doing.

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The new video released on Monday is titled "LSU releases video welcoming NFL players to campus," and if you've been following what's happening with Lane Kiffin and LSU's roster lately, you already know where this is headed. The video pokes fun at the bizarre possibility of players going from an NFL training camp back to a college campus, something that suddenly isn't as ridiculous as that sentence sounds.

SEC Shorts Welcomes NFL Players to LSU

The video is presented as an LSU orientation of sorts for its newest "students."

A player wearing Cleveland Browns gear arrives on campus and gets introduced to college life all over again. There's the student ID photo, figuring out a class schedule and even getting involved in intramural football.

At one point, the incoming player watches another college player packing up and moving out of his dorm, which pretty much sums up the absurdity of the whole situation without anyone needing to explain it. And yes, SEC Shorts found plenty of ways to work Louisiana into the joke.

When the new student gets his LSU Tiger Card, a list of suggested uses includes everything from an NFL signing-bonus repayment and agent commissions to Louisiana judges, bail bondsmen and state trooper traffic stops. They came after everybody.

Why SEC Shorts Is Picking on LSU

Like most good SEC Shorts videos, there's a very real story behind the joke.

Former Ole Miss tight end Dae'Quan Wright spent time with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns this offseason. After being waived by Cleveland, Wright committed to LSU with the possibility of playing another college season for his former Ole Miss coach, Lane Kiffin.

Former Ole Miss defensive lineman Zxavian Harris, who spent time with the New Orleans Saints, is also attempting to return to college and join LSU.

Then there's Jack Pyburn, who was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after leading the NFL preseason in sacks. He's another player reportedly connected to a possible return to LSU if the legal and eligibility pieces fall into place.

Yes, we're apparently living in a world where an NFL transaction wire could double as an LSU recruiting board.

How Can an NFL Player Go Back to College?

The issue involves athletes from the 2022 recruiting class seeking an additional year of college eligibility. A Louisiana court granted temporary relief allowing a group of athletes to pursue a return despite having entered the professional ranks.

The SEC isn't exactly thrilled with the idea.

The conference adopted rules designed to prevent athletes who declared for professional drafts or signed professional contracts from returning to SEC competition. The league also approved significant penalties for schools and coaches that use those players.

A Louisiana judge then amended a temporary restraining order to block the SEC from enforcing those penalties against the players involved while the legal fight continues.

So, basically, the NCAA has rules, the SEC has rules, courts are now weighing in on those rules, and LSU is standing in the middle of all of it saying, "So...is this guy available?" No wonder SEC Shorts had material.

LSU's NFL-to-College Experiment Isn't Settled Yet

As funny as the video is, the underlying story could have a pretty significant impact on college football. If players who sign professional contracts and spend time with NFL organizations can regain college eligibility, we're talking about another major change to what the college football roster looks like. LSU just happens to be standing at the front of this particular line.

Lane Kiffin has defended LSU's willingness to recruit the players, arguing that if court rulings make them eligible, they're going to play somewhere. That's probably not the last we'll hear about this. And I'm guessing it's not the last time SEC Shorts gets a video out of it, either.