Lane Kiffin’s first LSU opener has already turned the spotlight toward the new pieces he brought in, but the player who may end up stealing the show is not one of the bigger transfer names.
No. 11 LSU heads into Saturday’s season opener against Clemson with plenty of attention on the roster upgrades Kiffin made through the portal. Quarterback Sam Leavitt, left tackle Jordan Seaton and defensive end Princewill Umanmielen are among the headline additions, and the Tigers do look deeper and more dangerous than they did a year ago.
Still, the buzz around LSU’s backfield has shifted toward Dilin Jones.
Jones emerged during spring ball and kept building momentum through fall camp, putting himself in position to be an early breakout candidate. Kiffin made it clear he noticed the surge.
"Dilin's done great," Kiffin said. "Really has had a great week too and has kind of taken off from where he was in the spring, so we're really pleased with that."
That development matters because LSU needs a much better ground game. The Tigers finished last season with the fewest rushing yards in the SEC, and Kiffin’s track record suggests he knows how to fix that. Since 2020, Ole Miss has ranked among the top six rushing teams in the conference every year.
Jones could be the next beneficiary. The red-shirt sophomore arrives without a heavy college workload behind him - he logged 92 carries over two seasons at Wisconsin - but the possibility is there for him to surpass that kind of usage in a single season at LSU.
The running back room has also drawn praise from Jones himself, who pointed to the progress the group made during camp.
"I really say the growth is crazy," Jones said about the running back room. "We all came a long way, blocking-wise, physically, just being able to play the game fast.
We just really came a long way. Everybody in the room.
It's crazy growth, and coach is really out there knowing what he's doing."
Caden Durham and Harlem Berry are still expected to have roles, and both are familiar names to LSU fans after leading the team in rushing last season. But heading into the opener, the momentum seems to be building around Jones as the back most likely to break out first.
On a national stage Saturday, he’ll get the chance to prove it.
In Other News...
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Not everyone was on board with the change. Social media lit up with negative reactions aimed both at Wilsons performance and at ESPN for altering the traditional opening fans have come to expect, a reminder that GameDays rituals can be nearly as protected as the sport itself. Even so, there were viewers who still found her appearance more appealing than some of the other parts of the show, leaving Baton Rouge with plenty of opinions before the Tigers even took the field. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Drama Just Drew A Warning Tigers Fans Can't Ignore
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Finebaum went a step further by suggesting the leagues presidents could even discuss removing LSU from the SEC, though he acknowledged that outcome is unlikely. Still, the fact that the idea is out there shows how much this issue has rattled people around the conference, and it leaves LSU having to manage not just the eligibility fight itself but the broader damage it can do to the programs standing. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Drew Fresh LSU Attention At Knoxs U-High Debut
Lane Kiffin made a low-key appearance at LSU Laboratory School on Friday night, taking in his son Knoxs high school football debut after the family transfer from Oxford High School. The LSU head coach was spotted along the sideline for a matchup with Archbishop Rummel, a reminder that even when he is off the field, Kiffin tends to draw plenty of attention wherever football is being played in Baton Rouge.
The scene had a little extra LSU flavor, too, with former Tigers player Garrett Nussmeier showing up to support his brother Colton at the same game. Between a new arrival at U-High and a familiar LSU name in the stands, it was the sort of local football night that connected the programs present, past and future in one place. [Read more 🡒]