LSU edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen was served court papers on Tuesday, Sept. 15, just four days before the No. 7 Tigers travel to face No. 9 Ole Miss, his former team, in Week 3.
It's interesting timing, especially as the two top-10 ranked teams have developed bad blood over the last year following former Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin leaving the program for LSU before the College Football Playoff. Kiffin brought numerous former Ole Miss players, including Umanmielen, with him to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the transfer portal.
Umanmielen, who leads the nation with five sacks this season, was served with court papers in a parking lot outside LSU's
facilities, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. LSU was unaware of Ole Miss officials attempting to serve Umanmielen, per the report.
Ole Miss sued Umanmielen and now-LSU offensive lineman Devin Harper Jr. on July 27, seeking nearly $1 million in combined penalties. Ole Miss alleges the two players had already signed revenue-sharing contracts with the school before entering the transfer portal and choosing LSU over the offseason.
ESPN reported Umanmielen was served the plaintiff's first set of interrogatories, requests for production of documents and requests for admission. ESPN also reported the lawsuit is more focused on Ole Miss forcing LSU to account for its revenue sharing cap lost, rather than taking money back from its two former players.
A fourth-year senior, Umanmielen started his career at Nebraska before transferring to Ole Miss in 2025, when he blossomed into one of the best pass rushers in college football with nine sacks on the year. He's the younger brother of Princely Umanmielen, who played one season at Ole Miss in 2024 before he was drafted in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Ole Miss coach Pete Golding, who was elevated from defensive coordinator to head coach after Kiffin's exit, said at SEC Media Days that college football recruiting isn't moral.
"... The model obviously has been broken," he said. "I'm all for everybody being on the same playing field and doing the same things, I get it, but I think that's in any job. As coaches, we're under contract, you don't think other ADs are calling us during the year? The same ones that are (expletive) about all this stuff are the same ones calling coaches to come to other schools. It's everywhere in every profession."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: LSU's Princewill Umanmielen served court papers before Ole Miss game
