Ole Miss could take 2 LSU football transfers to court over unpaid buyouts, AD says

OXFORD — Ole Miss football has been waiting on buyout payments from LSU football players Princewill Umanmielen and Devin Harper for approximately six months, according to Ole Miss athletic director Keith Carter.

In an interview with the Clarion Ledger that covered a variety of topics, Carter said July 10 that going to court is one of the avenues Ole Miss is considering to make sure the buyouts are paid.

“That would be an option, going and asking a court to get that money for you,” Carter said. “Contracts are with the players. LSU could pay that on behalf of the players. So we’re kind of exploring all of that right now.”

Umanmielen, a star edge rusher for the Rebels in 2025, and Harper, a promising sophomore offensive lineman, have owed Ole Miss a buyout after transferring to LSU in the offseason and joining new Tigers coach Lane Kiffin.

That is because both players signed revenue sharing contracts to stay at Ole Miss before reversing course and entering the transfer portal. Umanmielen entered the transfer portal on Jan. 15, nine days after it was announced he’d be returning to Ole Miss.

On3 reported Umanmielen’s and Harper’s buyout payments total just shy of $1 million. Carter declined to share the exact dollar amount Ole Miss is expecting for each player.

“I don’t really want to comment on that,” Carter said. “It was significant. They were good players.”

Revenue sharing contracts differ from NIL agreements run through collectives. Revenue sharing contracts are agreements between the school and a player. Revenue sharing deals outline payments and buyouts between the two parties explicitly, while NIL agreements concern supplementary income opportunities from collectives.

Carter said there has been general hesitancy among college football athletic departments to enforce buyout payments against 18-year-olds. Because the Umanmielen and Harper deals were broken shortly after they were signed, Ole Miss feels collecting is the right move.

“Those are the kind that, having signed a brand-new rev share contract basically a week or two before wanting to leave, those are the kind that put you in a bind, especially there in the portal cycle,” Carter said. “Those two we’re going to continue to figure out how to collect. We feel like based on the contract we deserve to collect.”

It is customary for the school where players transfer to cover the buyout fee. Carter said Ole Miss has paid some buyout fees on behalf of incoming players.

Ole Miss football field logo secured, jersey patch not locked in

There will be a field sponsorship at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium this season. Ole Miss has a deal finalized and is hoping to announce it in a couple weeks, Carter said.

Plans for potential jersey patches on the Ole Miss football uniform in 2026 are less concrete.

“Jersey patches, we’re still working on that one,” Carter said. “We do not currently have one for this year. Not saying that we couldn’t by the time the season starts, but we don’t have one secured.”

Aflac became the first company to land a football field sponsorship with Ole Miss. That came during the Rebels’ Nov. 15 home game against Florida. It was not a permanent deal, and Aflac is not the sponsor the Rebels have signed with for 2026, Carter said.

Development project by Vaught-Hemingway Stadium advancing

A major project to transform the area north of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium is still in what Carter calls “early stages.”

Ole Miss issued an RFP (request for proposal) on Dec. 10 that seeks a development partner for a mixed-use development project that would create an entertainment district on 25 acres of land surrounding Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, according to a report from the Sports Business Journal Dec. 11.

Carter said Ole Miss has found a preferred development partner in the project and is now working through aspects of the contract.

“That’s going to be a process that’s probably going to take several months to work through,” Carter said. “The most important thing is we get IHL (Institute of Higher Learning) approval and work through that with IHL staff and IHL board members and talk to them about why the project is important to our campus.”

The project is for a mixed-use space that would include condos, retail space, dining space, suites and office space. Carter said the focus is making the space a vibrant place for people to occupy year-around, not just during Ole Miss home football games.

“The Chancellor (Glenn Boyce) and I will work on that together over the next several months as well,” Carter said. “I think it could add a lot of value. That building is used seven or eight times a year. To be able to bring more value to that, kind of 365, would be really cool.”

Sam Hutchens covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at Shutchens@gannett.com or reach him on X at @Sam_Hutchens_

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss could take 2 LSU football transfers to court over unpaid buyouts, AD says