Louisiana State redshirt freshman defensive end Damien Shanklin did not participate in preseason training camp and has not appeared in a game this season. Although first-year Tigers coach Lane Kiffin has said little about the reason for Shanklin’s absence, events unfolding over the last three weeks offer insight.
Shanklin, 20, is being investigated by East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore III and campus police for allegedly raping a female student in the early morning hours of Oct. 18, 2025.
Moore said in a news release that he has “requested all reports, interviews, evidence and other relevant records from LSU, the LSU Police Department, the Baton Rouge Police Department, the East Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office, and any other agency possessing information related to this matter.”
Attorneys Grant L. Willis and Morgan H. Johnson, issued a statement Thursday proclaiming Shanklin’s innocence: “What has been portrayed on social media and in the news thus far is not a full account of all the facts and circumstances surrounding this situation.”
Kendall Danielle Francis, 19, made her allegations public in a Sept. 14 TikTok video during which she expressed exasperation that Shanklin’s punishment was reduced despite the LSU Office of Civil Rights and Title IX finding that he was responsible for “forcible rape.” Upon appeal, Shanklin’s two-semester suspension from school and campus activities was lessened to four semesters of probation during which he could remain on campus.
“Now I am just trying to speak on my story, because LSU does really protect their athletes, especially their football players,” Francis said on TikTok.
Citing Title IX documents and police reports, ESPN reported that Shanklin and Francis engaged in consensual sexual activity in Shanklin’s dormitory room; however, he then had penetrative sex with her without her consent for nearly 20 seconds before she told him to stop. She alleges that he sent her $1,000 after she obtained a rape kit from a hospital.
Administrative law judge Janet Waguespack heard Shanklin’s appeal in August and ruled that the initial punishment was “exceedingly harsh.” Waguespack noted that the two engaged in “both consensual and nonconsensual” sexual activity and that “the time was brief.”
“Respondent’s behavior, although nonconsensual, did not exhibit a deliberate disregard for the dignity and autonomy of Complainant but was instead an error in judgment,” Waguespack wrote.
Francis said she was appalled upon learning the result of the appeal two days into the current semester. She said she is now doing coursework online.
“I ended up reading the appeal in my class and … it said he was still responsible for rape, but he’s able to play football, join orgs, and everything like that,” she said on TikTok. “That made my anxiety really, really bad because I don’t want to face this person.”
Kiffin, the former USC, Mississippi and Tennessee coach, has come under for fire this fall for attempting to pad the LSU roster with players cut from NFL training camps and defy SEC player eligibility rules before standing down. He confirmed in August that Shanklin would not practice or play again at LSU amid the sexual assault allegations.
Shandlin, rated by ESPN as the top high school prospect in Indiana in 2024, appeared in five LSU games in 2025 as a true freshman, including three after the alleged sexual assault was reported by Francis. Brian Kelly was head coach until he was fired Oct. 26 and Frank Wilson served as interim coach the rest of the season.
“Given this is an ongoing criminal investigation, all facts are not publicly available to not compromise the criminal investigation,” Shandlin’s attorneys said. “We simply ask that the court of public opinion cease to make any assumptions about any person involved until more information is publicly available.”
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