The Lane Kiffin era in Baton Rouge is getting close enough to touch, and LSU will finally kick off its 2026 season on September 5 against Clemson. With the opener now less than two months away, the Tigers are carrying the kind of buzz that comes after a major overhaul and a fresh round of expectations.
That makes this the right time to start thinking big. Predictions are always risky, especially with a team still coming together, but LSU has enough talent on the roster to make a few bold calls feel a lot less wild by the end of the regular season.
The most important piece of the puzzle is quarterback Sam Leavitt, the transfer portal headliner brought in to run Kiffin’s offense. Leavitt’s 2025 season was slowed by injury, but the last time he played a full year, he looked like one of the nation’s best.
In 2024 at Arizona State, he helped push the Sun Devils to the College Football Playoff while throwing for 2,885 yards, 24 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He completed 61.7 percent of his passes and averaged 8.2 yards per completion.
He also added 443 rushing yards and five scores on the ground.
If Leavitt gets back to full strength in 2026, LSU has a quarterback who can beat defenses with his legs and make enough throws to thrive in Kiffin’s system. He can work outside the pocket, and if his passing takes another step, he’ll be right in the mix among the SEC’s top quarterbacks.
The defense, though, may be the safer bet. Even in a 2025 season that had plenty go sideways, LSU’s defensive unit held up.
The Tigers finished No. 5 in scoring defense, No. 6 in total defense, No. 6 against the pass and No. 7 against the run in the SEC. Defensive coordinator Blake Baker is still in Baton Rouge, and the group has enough returning and new talent to stay among the conference’s better units.
Whit Weeks is back at linebacker, DJ Pickett showed flashes as a true freshman at cornerback, and Princewill Umanmielen arrives as a new edge presence up front. If LSU is going to contend, that side of the ball has to keep carrying its weight while the offense settles in.
The schedule does LSU no favors. The Tigers open with Clemson and then run into Ole Miss and Texas A&M within the first four weeks, before the calendar even turns past the opening month.
And the back half is just as demanding, with Alabama, Texas and Tennessee waiting in November. LSU also faces three teams that reached the College Football Playoff a year ago, along with several others near the top of the SEC.
Still, if LSU can bank some big early wins, the Tigers will be in the postseason conversation before the season reaches its toughest stretch. And if they can navigate November with a few statement victories, their resume could end up looking like one of the strongest in the country.
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Paul Finebaum Just Summed Up How Bad Brian Kelly Got At LSU
Paul Finebaum did not exactly hide his feelings about Brian Kellys time at LSU, saying he is relieved to be done with the weekly Monday interviews that came with the job. For three straight college football seasons, those live segments were part of the routine, and Finebaum made it clear the experience was anything but enjoyable.
The backdrop, of course, is Kellys uneven run in Baton Rouge, which ended with a 34-14 record before LSU moved on last fall. Lane Kiffin now holds the job, and Finebaum has already suggested the new arrangement is a far more pleasant one, which says plenty about how low the bar had gotten by the end of Kellys tenure. [Read more 🡒]
Why LSU Fans Are Eyeing No 57 A Little Closer This Year
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The number has carried a few different storylines over the years, from former LSU offensive lineman Carius Curne to Davon Godchaux, who is now entering his 10th NFL season with the New Orleans Saints. For Tigers fans, the interest in Jones is less about flash and more about what he can become in a room where every bit of line help matters, especially with the opener closing in and the depth chart still taking shape. [Read more 🡒]
LSU's Title Hopes May Come Down To One SEC Reality
LSU spent the offseason building the kind of roster that can survive the long grind of an SEC season, loading up at receiver, quarterback, running back and across a defense that already had plenty of pieces in place. The Tigers brought in transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt to steer the offense, added more help at the skill spots and fortified a defensive front and secondary that now look deeper and more versatile than they did a year ago.
For a program chasing championship-level consistency, the bigger question may not be whether LSU has enough headline talent. It is whether the Tigers have enough quality across the board to keep rolling when injuries, fatigue and the usual SEC attrition start to hit. Blake Bakers defense is expected to carry a major share of that burden, and the way LSU manages its depth in the coming months could end up telling the real story of how far this team can go. [Read more 🡒]