SEC Rules RJ Luis Ineligible; LSU Clears Niang, Dessert — SkimNews
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- RJ Luis ruled ineligible by the SEC, prompting LSU coach Will Wade to abandon his months-long fight; the former St. John's star and 2024-25 Big East Player of the Year hadn't played since March 2025 after signing a professional contract as an undrafted entrant in the 2025 NBA Draft.
- The SEC had already beaten LSU in a parallel eligibility fight over two football players Lane Kiffin tried to roster in late August and early September — a precedent sources described as evidence the league "was not going to budge" on Luis.
- Salou Niang, the 58th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft by Cleveland who never enrolled in college or played an NBA game, was cleared by the NCAA because his commitment to LSU pre-dated a new rule the NCAA decided not to apply retroactively.
- Brice Dessert, a 23-year-old French 7-footer with no prior college enrollment, will also be officially cleared to play for LSU, with one source noting there was "no independent SEC basis to deny him" after the NCAA approved him.
- LSU and the SEC remain entangled in a federal lawsuit the university sparked by trying to ease the pathway for professionals to return to college.
- LSU guards Donovan Dent (eligible now) and Skyy Clark (suing for a fifth year alongside dozens of Division I players) remain in separate eligibility cases that could further reshape the roster before LSU opens Nov. 3 against LSU New Orleans and faces Gonzaga in Spokane on Nov. 14.
Why it matters: Wade's months-long push for Luis ended once the SEC had already established legal precedent by blocking Lane Kiffin's two football signings in late summer. For LSU, losing Luis hurts, but the combined additions of Niang and Dessert, plus the still-pending fifth-year eligibility cases for Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark, could still deliver an NCAA Tournament roster by the Nov. 3 season opener.
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