LSU transfers fight Ole Miss $950,000 buyout suits, citing coercion and invalid contracts
Ole Miss is pursuing breach-of-contract claims totaling $950,000 against two players — Princewill Umanmielen ($550,000) and Devin Harper ($400,000) — who signed revenue-sharing agreements with the Rebels in early January before quickly transferring to LSU. Both players entered the portal and joined LSU within days of signing, falling inside the contracts' 90-day early-termination windows. In November court filings, the players pushed back, with Umanmielen alleging that Ole Miss coaches applied improper pressure before he signed and arguing that the university therefore cannot legally collect. Their shared attorney also contests whether the predetermined buyout amounts are enforceable under Mississippi law, contending the figures are punitive rather than a fair reflection of the school's actual losses. Additionally, Umanmielen's legal team has raised questions about whether he had the legal capacity to sign the contract under Mississippi's age-of-majority rules, and both players are seeking to have their cases moved out of Lafayette County, where Ole Miss filed suit, citing concerns about local bias. Ole Miss has maintained it expects athletes and their representatives to honor…
Why it matters
For coaches: Coaches recruiting portal players away from programs that have buyout agreements face potential institutional liability and reputational risk if their recruitment methods are later challenged in court.
For athletes: College players with revenue-sharing agreements now face the possibility of large financial penalties if they transfer before a contract's early-termination period expires, and this case will help define whether and how those buyouts can be enforced.
For collectives: Collectives and programs structuring revenue-sharing deals with buyout clauses are watching to see whether courts treat those provisions as enforceable liquidated damages or unenforceable penalties.
Read the full story at Yahoo Sports college football
Sources
- Yahoo Sports college football: LSU Star Who Left Ole Miss Blames Ex-Coaches to Pressure Him Into Signing Deals: "Unclean Hands"
- Yahoo Sports college football: LSU’s Princewill Umanmielen fires back at Ole Miss with bold claims in $550,000 lawsuit
- Yahoo Sports college football: LSU Star Blames Ole Miss Coaches For Pressure, Cites “Unclean Hands”