The LSU Tigers are about two weeks from opening the 2026 football season with Clemson coming to Baton Rouge, and the schedule doesn’t exactly hand them a soft landing. LSU is staring at the 11th toughest slate in America, with Clemson, Ole Miss, Alabama, Texas, Texas A&M and more waiting down the line.
That’s part of why the optimism around this team keeps building. The biggest reason is simple: Lane Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr. are a dangerous offensive pairing.
Last season at Ole Miss, Kiffin and Weis guided an offense that scored nearly 37 points per game, good for 10th nationally. Now they’re at LSU, and the pieces around them look even stronger.
The quarterback room is at least equal in talent, the wide receiver group is better, and the offensive line is better too. The one real loss from that Ole Miss setup was Kewan Lacy in the running back room.
LSU has already shown it can field elite offenses under Brian Kelly, too. That includes the 2023 Heisman Trophy season from Jayden Daniels.
The title talk is another matter, and one that doesn’t fully register here, but this much feels clear: this LSU team should be in the CFP conversation.
And with names like Sam Leavitt, Harlem Berry, Caden Durham, Dilin Jones, Tre Wilson, Jackson Harris, TreyDez Green and Winnie Watkins in the mix, every defense on the 2026 schedule is going to have its hands full. Put Kiffin and Weis’s offensive touch on top of that, and LSU looks built to be a problem all season long.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Fires Back As LSU Leans Into Roster Controversy
LSUs roster building has already become a talking point this summer, and Lane Kiffin has not been shy about explaining why the Tigers are adding players with NFL training-camp experience. He pointed to court rulings that gave certain athletes an extra year of eligibility, saying the situation is less about former pro hopefuls simply deciding to come back to college and more about a protected group of players whose eligibility was extended by the courts.
For LSU, the issue is as much about competition as it is about classification. Kiffin framed the additions as part of the programs effort to build the best roster possible, and he noted the value of bringing professional experience back into a college locker room. The controversy may keep drawing attention, but LSU appears content to keep leaning into the advantage it believes these players can provide. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Just Got A D-Line Boost Amid The SEC Eligibility Mess
The SECs latest eligibility ruling has already started to ripple through the conference, creating complications for players who declared, signed or were otherwise tied to NFL teams. For LSU, though, the picture is a little different with Notre Dame defensive lineman Junior Tuihalamaka, whose path to Baton Rouge has stayed open because he did not sign with an NFL team and is covered by a temporary restraining order.
For the Tigers, that matters because the defensive line has been an area where added depth never hurts in the SEC grind. Tuihalamaka has also cleared the intraconference transfer rule, so LSU is expected to be able to count on him as a reinforcement while the broader eligibility mess continues to sort itself out around the league. [Read more 🡒]
LSUs New Roster Plan Just Hit A Brutal SEC Roadblock
LSUs roster plans took an immediate hit when the SEC unanimously approved a new rule banning former professional athletes from joining any football or basketball team in the conference. The move gives commissioner Greg Sankey broad enforcement power, including the authority to sideline schools from competition and suspend coaches or administrators who violate the policy, turning what might have been a simple eligibility issue into a major league-wide restriction.
For LSU, the timing stings because the ban directly affects expected additions Dae'Quan Wright, Zxavian Harris, and RJ Luis, all of whom had been on track to help the Tigers in football and basketball. The ruling leaves the program with fewer options as it tries to build out its roster, and it adds another layer of uncertainty to a period when every incoming piece matters. [Read more 🡒]