LSU’s first statement of the season was loud enough to move the polls.
After blasting Clemson in Week 1, the Tigers jumped to No. 8 in the AP Top 25, up from No. 11 in the preseason rankings. The opener doubled as the debut of Lane Kiffin’s new-look program in Baton Rouge, and LSU wasted no time showing why the offseason buzz mattered.
The headline numbers tell the story fast. LSU rolled to a 51-10 win, and the offense looked every bit like the unit fans had been waiting on after a long offseason of roster renovation through the transfer portal. The new pieces didn’t just fit - they delivered immediately.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt was at the center of it all. The ASU transfer, who had been labeled the biggest wildcard in college football because of his offseason injury recovery, earned SEC offensive player of the week honors after his first game in purple and yellow. He threw for 230 yards with a 57% completion rate, then added 113 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns to stress Clemson in every direction.
Leavitt also looked comfortable working with transfer quarterback Diliin Jones, who played a major role in pushing the ball downfield and matched him with 113 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
LSU’s defense backed it up with a performance that shut Clemson down early and often. The purple and orange Tigers converted just one of 13 third downs and finished with only 145 total yards. Jordan Ross supplied one of the game’s biggest early jolts, taking an interception 30 yards for a pick-six in the first quarter.
The dominance showed up in the record book too. LSU piled up 38 first downs, a Tiger Stadium record, while the defense held Clemson to just eight first downs for the entire game.
For Clemson and Dabo Swinney, it was a brutal night. The 51-10 defeat was the largest margin of loss of Swinney’s 18 seasons as head coach, and it marked his fourth straight season-opening loss with the ACC Tigers.
For LSU, though, the night ended with the scoreboard, the rankings, and the momentum all pointing the same way.
In Other News...
LSUs Ex-Pro Fight Just Ran Into A Bigger Roster Problem
LSUs roster picture got a lot tighter this week after the Tigers added injured players Aidan Anding and Gabriel Reliford to the official list, bringing the program to the NCAA limit of 105. For a team already juggling roster management and outside scrutiny, the move matters because it leaves no immediate room to add former NFL players DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris, even as the program continues sorting through the broader mess.
The situation has also spilled well beyond the depth chart. The SEC has threatened penalties and even a vote to expel LSU over its efforts to bring in the ex-professionals, while legal action involving LSU officials and the conference is still moving forward. Lane Kiffin has publicly backed the idea of signing Wright and Harris, saying he believed both were deserving of fifth seasons, but for now the Tigers are stuck with a roster logjam and no clear answer on what comes next. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Made A Roster Decision Fans Never Expected Under SEC Pressure
LSUs roster crunch got a lot more complicated after the Tigers added Gabriel Reliford and Aidan Anding to their 105-player roster, a move that quickly closed the door on two former NFL contract signees, DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris. The decision comes in the middle of a broader fight that has put the program in an uncomfortable spotlight, with the SEC taking a hard line on athletes who previously signed professional contracts and LSU pushing back on that interpretation.
The timing matters because this is not just a depth-chart issue, but a conference-level dispute that already escalated into an amended lawsuit threatening LSUs standing in the SEC. For now, the Tigers have chosen to move forward with two non-former professional players instead of opening those spots to Wright and Harris, leaving the bigger question unresolved as the legal and conference pressure continues to build. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Faces Mounting SEC Pressure In Fight That Could Force A Response
LSUs roster decision has turned into a broader SEC headache, with the conference now pressing the school over a move that brought former NFL players back into college football. Tony Clayton, who represents DaeQuan Wright and Zxavaian Harris, publicly took aim at commissioner Greg Sankey after LSU declined to roster his clients and instead added two injured players, a sequence that has only added fuel to an already tangled dispute.
The conference has threatened to expel LSU for violating bylaws that bar former professional players from returning to college, and the matter has spilled into federal court with the SEC, NCAA and LSU all caught in the legal crosscurrents. Lane Kiffin has denied orchestrating the players return, but he has backed them legally, leaving LSU in the middle of a fight that is no longer just about a depth chart and could end up forcing a response from the conference office. [Read more 🡒]