Ole Miss is seeking nearly $1 million in buyouts from a pair of former football players.
The university on Monday filed lawsuits against Princewill Umanmielen and Devin Harper for allegedly not living up to their end of a buyout clause in revenue-sharing agreements they signed before jumping ship to a rival school. Per the legal complaints filed in the Lafayette County Circuit Court, Ole Miss is seeking $550,000 from Umanmielen and $400,000 from Harper. Both players are accused of transferring to LSU without returning money owed to their former institution, as required by legally binding contracts they signed.
“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,” an official statement from the university reads.
“Before transferring to another institution, student-athletes Devin Harper and Princewill Umanmielen signed revenue-sharing agreements that included a provision requiring them to compensate the university with a predetermined amount if they departed before fulfilling their commitment,” the statement continued. “The University of Mississippi has a responsibility to enforce its contractual terms, and this position is consistent with the actions of other institutions in the current landscape of college athletics.”
Umanmielen transferred to Ole Miss from Nebraska ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, following in the footsteps of his brother Princely. Princely spent the 2024-25 season with the Rebels after competing at Florida during his first four collegiate years. As for the younger brother, Princewill spent his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Cornhuskers, then broke out as an emerging star in his junior campaign at Ole Miss. This past year, he logged 45 tackles (18 solo), nine sacks, an interception, and a pass deflection.
Ole Miss officials allege that Princewill signed a revenue-sharing agreement with Ole Miss at 10:02 p.m. on Jan. 3, a mere two days after the Rebels’ Sugar Bowl victory over Georgia. 17 days later, the edge rusher hit the portal. One day after that, he signed with LSU, now led by former Ole Miss frontman Lane Kiffin. Since then, Ole Miss officials say they have not been able to recoup funds owed to the university, despite repeated attempts to do so. Receipts of timestamps were even provided.
According to the university, Princewill was first contacted regarding a requested payment on Jan. 22, the day after he signed with LSU. A 30-day deadline notice was then issued on Feb.22. Then, the university reached out to LSU on March 12 requesting payment on Princewill’s behalf. LSU is allowed to pay the buyout, but it would go against the institution’s more than $21 million revenue-sharing cap for the next academic year. Ole Miss claims LSU denied payment on March 18. Princewill, per Ole Miss officials, was also contacted about the payment on July 27 to avoid additional costs.
Harper, a sophomore offensive tackle who signed with Ole Miss out of high school, is said to have signed a revenue-sharing agreement with the Rebels on Jan. 6, two days before the Rebels’ Fiesta Bowl loss to Miami. A Louisiana native, Harper entered the transfer portal on Jan. 14 and signed with LSU two days later.
Ole Miss claims, the day Harper signed with LSU, it requested payment from him, but received no response. On Feb. 13, the university says it sent a 30-day deadline notice regarding the payment before contacting LSU on March 13. LSU is alleged to have declined to pay, leading to Ole Miss filing the breach of contract lawsuit with Harper on July 27. Harper, like Princewill, was asked again to return the money promptly to avoid additional costs.
The official Ole Miss football social media accounts posted celebratory graphics of Umanmielen and Harper when the two reportedly reached deals to return for another year with the Rebels. The announcements followed arguably the largest win in program history, given that it occurred against a perennial powerhouse in Ole Miss’ first-ever College Football Playoff run. Both players reportedly stating intentions to remain at Ole Miss also sparked additional excitement for the future of the program with defensive coordinator turned head coach Pete Golding leading the charge.
On the lawsuit front, Umanmielen’s case has been assigned to Judge John Kelly Luther, while Harper’s is being overseen by Judge Kent Smith. Both judges received their law degrees from Ole Miss.
