As LSU gets ready to kick off the Lane Kiffin era, Nick Saban is pumping the brakes just a little on all the noise around Baton Rouge.
Saban, now an ESPN broadcaster and a former LSU coach who won a national title there before moving on to the NFL and Alabama, said there’s plenty to like about what Kiffin has built. But he also made it clear that the hype comes with real questions attached.
“Lane has created a lot of excitement, and rightfully so,” noted Saban.
Still, Saban pointed to the sheer volume of turnover on LSU’s roster as the biggest thing to watch.
“They have 53 new players on their team... but there's also 53 guys that aren't there any more,” said Saban. “So you lose them on the back end, and people don't talk about that much.... Whether they have enough depth on their team to be a real contender remains to be seen.”
Kiffin’s first LSU roster was built heavily through the transfer portal. On3/Rivals had the Tigers second in its portal rankings, while 247sports ranked LSU No. 1 overall. The roster looks dramatically different from the one left behind by Brian Kelly.
Saban also had a warning for LSU about the other side of the season opener: Clemson.
“I also think Clemson is going to be a lot better than they were,” said Saban. “I think they've got a lot of returning players.
I think they were young last year. I think they've got a lot more maturity as a team and Dabo is a really good coach....
They have really good players in some critical positions.”
Clemson went 7-6 in 2025, its worst season since 2010, and Dabo Swinney’s resistance to the transfer portal has helped fuel the slide from national power to a team trying to hold its ground in the ACC. But Saban said the Tigers still have enough pieces to be taken seriously.
He singled out Clemson’s secondary and its wide receivers as major strengths. At defensive back, returning standout Ashton Hampton will be joined by significant depth arriving through the transfer portal. At receiver, TJ Moore, who caught 52 passes for 837 yards, and Bryant Wesco Jr., who had 31 catches for 537 yards before an injury ended his season at midseason, give Clemson one of the top pass-catching duos in the country.
New quarterback Christopher Vizzina remains an unknown, but Saban’s message was clear: LSU should expect a real test, not an easy night.
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What makes the battle worth watching is that the competition does not stop with the two veterans. London Merritt, Darien Mayo, C.J. Wesley, Armon Mason and Caden Story have all taken steps forward and are expected to be part of the rotation this season, giving Clemson a long list of options to sort through. For a defense that wants disruption off the edge, the question is not whether there will be talent there, but which names will separate themselves once the games begin. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons LSU Opener Just Got A Lot More Complicated
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The conference has already taken LSU to court over the issue, and attorneys for the SEC plan to appeal the injunction. For Clemson, it adds another layer of uncertainty to a season opener that was already going to draw plenty of attention, with a possible eligibility fight now hanging over a matchup that had not needed any more complications. [Read more 🡒]
Dabos Clemson Reset Starts With A Staff Shakeup Fans Will Notice
Dabo Swinneys offseason reset arrived with a staff shakeup that Clemson fans will notice long before the 2026 season kicks off. After a 7-6 finish in 2025, the Tigers blended internal promotion with outside experience, elevating Tajh Boyd and Thomas Allen while also adding Freddie Kitchens as a volunteer offensive assistant and naming Dennis Love as director of football strength and conditioning.
The two most eye-catching moves, though, were on the offensive and special teams sides, where Clemson turned to familiar and proven names to help steady the programs next phase. Swinneys latest round of changes suggests a deliberate attempt to reshape the operation from several angles at once, and the real question now is how quickly those additions can translate into a cleaner, more functional team by the time fall arrives. [Read more 🡒]