Lane Kiffin’s first season at LSU is barely underway, and already the bar is being set sky-high.
The Tigers are entering a new era with Kiffin in charge, and the early buzz around Baton Rouge has been all about momentum. He’s brought the offense, the recruiting energy, and what looks like a fast-moving rebuild. In his first offseason, the results have been strong across the board, from the transfer portal haul to the high school class.
But the conversation has shifted from roster-building to results, and ESPN’s Paul Finebaum made his stance clear on what counts as success in 2026.
When asked what would make the season a success for LSU, Finebaum didn’t overcomplicate it.
"CFP. It's really simple," said Finebaum. "That is the expectation because not only the money paid to him, the money paid to the players."
That answer gets right to the modern reality of college football. NIL has changed the equation, and when programs spend big, the expectation is that the return comes fast. Finebaum’s point makes sense on that front.
Still, calling a College Football Playoff berth the only acceptable finish for LSU in Kiffin’s first year feels like a heavy load to drop in July. This is a program that should be in the national conversation often, but there’s a difference between being competitive and demanding a playoff trip right away.
There’s also the matter of fit and time. A coaching staff can bring in talent, but it still has to build its culture with a roster full of players who haven’t worked under it before. That part doesn’t happen overnight.
Kiffin’s own profile is part of why the pressure lands so hard. He’s one of the biggest personalities in the sport, and that naturally keeps him in the spotlight. People are going to keep talking about him, whether they’re praising him or waiting for him to stumble.
So while CFP-or-bust talk may feel premature, it’s not exactly a surprise. Kiffin stepped into a job where expectations come with the territory, and he knows winning is the cleanest way to shut down the noise.
As fall camp gets closer, that’s the only answer that really matters.
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Harlem Berry arrived at LSU with the kind of pedigree that always brings a little extra noise, but the Louisiana native has already given Tigers fans a reason to believe the hype. Entering his sophomore year, the former five-star recruit is no longer just a name to circle on a roster sheet after an impactful first season that hinted at what he can become in Baton Rouge.
Now the question is how quickly that promise turns into a full-blown role in a backfield that still has plenty of moving parts. Berry is competing with Caden Durham and Wisconsin transfer Dilin Jones for carries, and his path to a bigger workload will depend on how LSU sorts out the running back rotation in Lane Kiffins offense with Charlie Weis Jr. calling the shots. [Read more 🡒]
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Leavitts stock is clearly high, but the evaluation around him is not spotless. The Athletics breakdown touches on his past foot injury, his play style and how he stacks up against other top quarterbacks, while some evaluators have also wondered how much of his production was shaped by the environment around him at Arizona State and how he handled leaving there. For LSU, the bigger question is less about whether Leavitt belongs in the conversation and more about how quickly he can turn that national respect into the kind of weekly consistency Tigers fans will demand. [Read more 🡒]
LSU No. 47 Still Carries Weight For One Tigers Family
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For LSU, that number has also shown up in another sport, with Tommy White turning No. 47 into part of a memorable baseball run that ended with the Tigers winning the 2023 Mens College World Series before he reached the majors. On the football side, JD LaFleur is trying to make his mark in a crowded tight end room, and the next step in his LSU story will be about more than just the jersey on his back. [Read more 🡒]