RJ Luis ruled ineligible at LSU while Saliou Niang and Brice Dessert receive clearance to join roster
LSU will not have former St. John's guard RJ Luis on its roster this season after the SEC denied his eligibility, according to CBS Sports sources. Luis declared for the 2025 NBA Draft, signed a professional contract, and never played in an NBA game after going undrafted, placing him in violation of an SEC rule — ratified last summer — that bars players from returning to college after failing to properly withdraw from a major professional draft and subsequently signing a pro deal. Coach Will Wade had privately pursued a path for Luis through the courts for months, but the SEC's rule held firm, in part because the league had already successfully defended a similar challenge involving football players. On a more positive note for LSU, the NCAA cleared Senegalese-Italian forward Saliou Niang, a 2025 NBA Draft pick who was selected 58th by Cleveland but never played for the franchise; Niang's eligibility was preserved because his commitment to LSU predated the NCAA's new rule and he had never previously been enrolled in college. A tall French center who will join the program was also cleared under similar reasoning, with sources noting he never signed paperwork meeting the definition…
Why it matters
For coaches: Programs recruiting overseas prospects or returning draft picks must navigate both NCAA and conference-specific eligibility rules, which can differ and change quickly.
For athletes: College players who declared for a professional draft and signed contracts face conference-level eligibility bars that may be harder to challenge in court than NCAA rules alone.
Read the full story at CBS Sports
Sources
- CBS Sports · Matt Norlander: RJ Luis ruled ineligible at LSU, but Saliou Niang and Brice Dessert will both be on Tigers' roster
- Yahoo Sports: Ohio Supreme Court to hear OHSAA eligibility case vs. Massillon's Feisters
- Yahoo Sports: Ohio Supreme Court to hear OHSAA eligibility case vs. Massillon's Feisters
- Yahoo Sports: Ohio Supreme Court to hear OHSAA eligibility case vs. Massillon's Feisters