Lane Kiffin didn’t waste any time making his feelings known. Shortly after Jordan Seaton announced his commitment to LSU, Kiffin fired off a tweet that simply read: “hope you enjoyed the grand finale.” And in many ways, it was exactly that - the final, headline-grabbing move in what’s been a whirlwind offseason for the Tigers.
Seaton, the No. 1 offensive lineman in the transfer portal, is headed to Baton Rouge. And he’s not coming in to sit.
He’s expected to be a day-one starter at left tackle, giving LSU a cornerstone on the offensive line and a massive boost to an already loaded transfer class. This wasn’t just a win - it was the kind of pickup that can reshape a season before a single practice rep is taken.
With Seaton in the fold, LSU’s transfer portal haul is officially complete. And on paper, it’s one of the most impressive groups we’ve seen in recent years.
The Tigers didn’t just fill needs - they retooled the roster with plug-and-play talent across the board. But as always in college football, paper only gets you so far.
Now comes the real challenge: turning this influx of individual talent into a cohesive, championship-caliber team.
That transformation doesn’t happen overnight. Spring ball is still weeks away, and February will be spent in the weight room, in meetings, and slowly building the foundation of what LSU hopes will be a special 2026 campaign. Kiffin knows the task ahead isn’t just about Xs and Os - it’s about mindset.
“They’ve already been wired a certain way,” Kiffin said, referring to the incoming transfers. “They’ve already been taught certain things at all these different programs by different coaches.
So we have to kind of rewire the way that they think. We’ve got to get them to buy into something that’s really hard with what they make.
So much is individual based right now and we have to get them to buy into understanding to put things aside for the betterment of the team. That is probably the biggest challenge.”
That’s the balancing act in today’s college football landscape. With NIL and the transfer portal reshaping how rosters are built, coaches aren’t just recruiting talent - they’re managing egos, expectations, and personal brands. And Kiffin, who’s never been shy about embracing the new era, is now tasked with molding this group into something greater than the sum of its parts.
Now that the dust has settled on the transfer cycle, fans and analysts alike will spend the next several months sketching out depth charts and dreaming up lineup combinations. Who starts where?
How does the offensive line shake out with Seaton anchoring the left side? What does the defensive front look like with all the new additions?
It all leads to one of the most highly anticipated season openers in recent LSU memory: a Sept. 5 showdown against Clemson under the lights in Tiger Stadium. That game won’t just be a litmus test - it’ll be a spectacle. A packed Death Valley, a national stage, and a roster full of new faces looking to make a statement.
The 2026 season is still months away, but with Seaton’s commitment, the pieces are officially in place. LSU has loaded the board. Now it’s time to see how it all fits together.