LSU's Umanmielen served court papers in Ole Miss breach lawsuit ahead of September 20 rivalry game

Princewill Umanmielen, LSU's star defensive end, was served with court documents on September 16 related to Ole Miss's breach-of-contract lawsuit, according to ESPN's reporting. The service occurred in the parking lot outside LSU's football facility and included interrogatories, requests for production of documents, and requests for admission, according to court records in the Circuit Court of Lafayette County in Oxford, Mississippi. The timing puts the lawsuit three days before No. 7 LSU plays at No. 8 Ole Miss on September 20 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

Ole Miss sued Umanmielen and LSU offensive lineman Devin Harper on July 27, seeking close to $1 million in combined penalties: $550,000 from Umanmielen and $400,000 from Harper, plus attorneys' fees and court costs. The lawsuit alleges that both players violated revenue-sharing contracts with the Rebels within a 90-day window after signing.

According to Ole Miss's allegations reported by ESPN, Umanmielen signed a revenue-sharing agreement to remain at Ole Miss on January 3, entered the transfer portal on January 20, and signed with LSU on January 21. Harper signed his deal with the Rebels on January 6, entered the portal on January 14, and signed with LSU on January 16. Ole Miss requested payment from Harper on January 16 and from Umanmielen on January 22, respectively. Neither player responded within the 30-day deadline to make payment, according to the timeline provided to ESPN in July.

According to ESPN's reporting, sources familiar with the matter said the lawsuit is more about forcing LSU to account for the combined $950,000 on its revenue-sharing cap rather than genuine monetary recovery from the former players. Ole Miss issued a statement: "The University of Mississippi values its student-athletes and is committed to honoring all obligations made to them. In return, the university expects that same commitment from its student-athletes and their representatives in upholding their contracts." The university added: "We defer to our initial statement on the matter and have no further comment."

LSU officials said they were generally aware that Ole Miss was attempting to serve Umanmielen prior to this week, per ESPN. Neither Umanmielen nor Harper has an attorney listed in the court docket as of the reporting date. Umanmielen is a senior from Austin, Texas, who played two seasons at Nebraska before joining the Rebels in 2025. In two games at LSU, Umanmielen leads the FBS with five sacks to go with 11 tackles, according to ESPN. At Ole Miss last year, Umanmielen earned third-team All-SEC honors with nine sacks and 13 tackles for loss, per CBS Sports. Harper is a Louisiana native who appeared in six games during his true freshman season at Ole Miss, according to CBS Sports.

Other key players including linebacker TJ Dottery and receiver Winston Watkins also followed coach Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss to LSU, per CBS Sports. Kiffin left Ole Miss for the LSU job less than a year ago. The Oxford Police Department is bringing in reinforcements to handle what's expected to be a raucous scene as Kiffin makes his return to his former school, according to CBS Sports.