Ole Miss has sued two former football players, Princewill Umanmielen and Devin Harper, for breach of contract, just weeks before the start of the 2026 football season. The university alleges the players violated revenue sharing agreements signed earlier this year after transferring to LSU.
Umanmielen, a senior from Austin, Texas, and Harper, a sophomore from Shreveport, Louisiana, signed contracts with Ole Miss in early January. The agreements included buyout clauses totaling approximately $1 million, with Umanmielen’s buyout being the larger of the two, according to the university.
Both players transferred to LSU in January after Ole Miss defeated Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1. Harper signed with LSU on Jan. 16, and Umanmielen followed on Jan. 21, despite having signed revenue sharing agreements with Ole Miss days earlier. The university claims the players breached their contracts by transferring and owe compensation as stipulated in the agreements.
Ole Miss is seeking to recover the buyout amount in the upcoming case in Lafayette County Circuit Court. LSU will host Ole Miss on Sept. 19 in what has been described as a fierce rivalry, now further intensified by the legal dispute.
The lawsuit comes amid ongoing concerns about the influence of money and legal battles in college sports. Ole Miss and coach Pete Golding also face potential sanctions related to recruiting violations, including the case of linebacker Luke Ferrell, who transferred from California to Clemson and then to Ole Miss within three weeks.
While these incidents highlight the commercialization of college athletics, critics argue they reveal a system more akin to professional sports than higher education, with multimillion-dollar salaries, lawsuits, and agents taking center stage. The NCAA has faced criticism for its inability to regulate such conduct, raising questions about the future of college sports.
Neither Umanmielen nor Harper has publicly commented on the lawsuit. Ole Miss issued a statement emphasizing its commitment to honoring contractual obligations and attempting to resolve the matter amicably before filing suit.
The legal battle underscores the increasingly complex and contentious landscape of college athletics, where money and legal disputes threaten the traditional amateur ideal.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
