ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — LSU head football coach Lane Kiffin’s high-stakes gamble to bring former professional football players back to the college ranks has triggered a swift reaction from a Georgia congressman.

U.S. Rep. Clay Fuller, a Republican elected earlier this year to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in northwest Georgia’s 14th district, has filed a bill aiming to shut down the eligibility loopholes currently being tested by LSU and other programs across the country.

Fuller’s “No Elite Athletes Using X-pro status to ensure Prioritizing Recruitment Of Student-athletes Act” (NEAUX PROS Act) takes direct aim at Kiffin’s roster-building tactics.

Kiffin is pursuing several recently waived NFL rookies, including former Ole Miss tight end Dae’Quan Wright, previously with the Cleveland Browns, and former Notre Dame defensive end Junior Tuihalamaka.

If passed, Fuller’s bill would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to strip Title IV federal funding from any university permitting an individual under a professional sports contract to compete in college athletics.

Under a newly proposed section of the federal criminal code, it would also become a federal crime for any “covered athletics official” — including head coaches, assistant coaches, and athletic directors — to knowingly recruit, sign, or certify the eligibility of a professional athlete.

Kiffin’s strategy relies on a wave of successful state-level lawsuits and temporary restraining orders that have bypassed NCAA and Southeastern Conference (SEC) restrictions, allowing players from the high school class of 2022 to claim an extra “fifth year” of eligibility even after signing professional contracts.

On Thursday, the SEC announced a lawsuit against LSU just days before the 11th-ranked LSU Tigers open the 2026 college football season at home against Clemson.

On Thursday night, East Baton Rouge Parish Judge William Jorden issued a preliminary injunction against the NCAA, clearing the way for LSU to list some former NFL players on its roster.

Fuller is facing a challenge from Democrat Shawn Harris in Georgia’s nationally watched 2026 midterm elections.

University of Georgia head football coach Kirby Smart said this week he was not considering adding any former NFL players to the roster.

“To each his own, is my thought,” said Smart. “The opportunities presented to the guys on our team is important to me, they’ve earned those through an offseason, through a summer program, through a really tough fall camp. And you have to decide, each and every person, if that’s valuable enough to warrant replacing your players.”

On The Record panelists Buzz Brockway and State Senator Sonya Halpern also had thoughts on the ruling.

“This sets a pretty big precedent,” said Brockway. “The lines are blurred and I think what the schools are saying is we have to draw the line somewhere.”

“It raises the larger question about what are we doing around NIL?” said Halpern. “I think if there are not money available to make at the college level we may not even see people trying to come back down.”

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