Lane Kiffin’s LSU offense is built to move fast and overwhelm people, but the whole machine still depends on one thing camp has to settle: whether the run game can hold up.
Transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt can push the ball downfield, yet he can’t carry the offense by himself. LSU’s ground game has to do real work, and it didn’t last season. The Tigers finished last in the SEC in rush yards per game in 2025, a number that dragged down an offense that was supposed to be much more dangerous.
The strange part is that LSU had pieces. Harlem Berry and Caden Durham are both back for 2026, and transfer Dilin Jones arrives from Wisconsin after getting first-team reps in the spring. He should be part of the answer, too.
If LSU is going to meet the expectations around it, the run game cannot be a weakness again. It does not have to be elite, but it has to be far better than what showed up a year ago.
A big reason the rushing attack struggled was the offensive line. That group looked like it had been fixed through the transfer portal heading into 2026, and some of the returners have also taken steps forward during the spring.
Weston Davis is one of the clearest examples. The right tackle had a rough 2025, but he has looked much better over the last six months.
Fall camp should reveal whether that progress sticks, and he is expected to be the starter at that spot. LSU needs him to help drive the run game.
There is also a real opportunity for Bo Bordelon, who has been at LSU for five years and is finally in position to claim the role he has been waiting on. He worked with the first team in the spring and looks set to start at left guard. Center Braelin Moore is back as well for what should be a major second year in Baton Rouge.
The portal additions give LSU even more reason to believe the line can stabilize. Left tackle Jordan Seaton and right guard Aliou Bah both arrive with proven track records, and LSU needs that success to carry over.
That combination of a rebuilt line and more experience in the backfield is why the Tigers’ rushing attack looked better in the spring than it did last fall, when LSU finished 7-6. Still, there is plenty left to clean up, especially with the tempo this offense wants to play at.
Jones and Berry fit the speed element of the attack. Durham is the power option and also the back who can help in the passing game. Beyond that trio, LSU is going to need help from Stacy Gage and Raycine Guillory Jr. as well.
With the defense drawing confidence this offseason, the state of the run game in fall camp should say plenty about where LSU is headed once the season starts.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Just Dragged Two LSU Transfers Into A Legal Fight
A pair of LSU transfers has landed in the middle of a legal mess that stretches back to their time at Ole Miss, where revenue-sharing agreements were signed before the move to Baton Rouge. The school has now filed suit over what it says are unpaid buyout obligations tied to those departures, turning a routine transfer into a contract dispute with real financial stakes.
Ole Miss says it laid out the sequence of agreements, portal entries, transfer dates and payment deadlines before going to court, and LSU has already declined a request to cover the buyout on the players behalf. The case adds another layer to the modern transfer era, where roster movement can carry consequences long after a player leaves campus and where the paperwork can matter as much as the on-field fit. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Coach Lane Kiffin Gets Candid About The Rule Named After Him
Lane Kiffin spent part of SEC Media Days talking about a proposal that carries his name, and he did so with little hesitation. The LSU coach addressed the bipartisan Protect College Sports Act, which includes the so-called Lane Kiffin Rule, a measure aimed at stopping coaches from leaving for another job before the season ends and preventing schools from hiring a coach until a teams schedule is complete.
Kiffin said he supports the idea and hopes it keeps future coaches and players from getting caught in the kind of mess he once faced with an in-season move from Ole Miss. He pointed to the NFL as a model for how the sport handles coaching movement, and also noted the recent shift in the transfer portal calendar as another attempt to clean up a related problem for players. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Suddenly Has A Real Fight On Its Hands For Elite Commit}
Maxwell Hiller has become one of the more watched names in the 2027 recruiting cycle, and for good reason. The five-star offensive tackle is a premier talent, ranked near the top of the class and already viewed as a centerpiece for Floridas future, which is why his pledge has carried so much weight for the Gators as they try to build momentum on the trail.
But the recruiting battle around Hiller is far from settled, and that is where things get interesting for LSU fans following along. He has left the door open to taking visits during the season, and with rival programs still pushing hard to make their case, Florida has real work to do if it wants to keep one of the classs most coveted linemen from turning into a full-blown flip chase. [Read more 🡒]