LSU’s portal overhaul was built to produce instant contributors, and the Tigers landed enough proven talent to make that expectation hard to ignore.
Lane Kiffin, the “transfer portal king,” attacked his first offseason in Baton Rouge with 43 additions through the portal, a haul ON3 ranked fifth nationally. That kind of volume comes with a clear purpose: plug holes fast, stack the roster with experience, and give LSU a batch of players who can step in right away.
One of the clearest examples is Seaton, the former five-star recruit who arrived with two seasons of college experience after starting immediately at Colorado. He opened 13 games as a true freshman, the most by a true freshman in Buffaloes history, and last season allowed just one sack and five pressures in nine games. From the moment he got to Baton Rouge, Seaton’s spot at left tackle looked locked in.
At quarterback, LSU landed Leavitt, the No. 1 player at his position in the transfer portal this offseason. The Tigers pursued other quarterbacks too, but he was one of their top targets and the one they closed on.
Leavitt broke out at Arizona State as a redshirt freshman, winning Big-12 Freshman of the Year and helping the Sun Devils earn a top-four seed in the College Football Playoff. The only real question hanging over him is how he’ll come back from a season-ending foot injury.
The edge room should also get an immediate boost from another top-ranked portal addition. He comes to LSU from Ole Miss after following Kiffin to Baton Rouge, and he arrives as one of the few veterans in that group. In his lone season with the Rebels, he led the team with 9 sacks and 13 tackles for loss.
LSU also added experience at linebacker with the green dot linebacker for Ole Miss over the last two seasons. He brings SEC-tested production into a room that already includes Whitt Weeks.
Kiffin didn’t stop there. He quickly filled out the receiver room with players who bring both production and upside.
Wilson fits the veteran mold, having spent three seasons at Florida and posting his best year as a freshman, when he finished with 538 yards and six touchdowns. Injuries have slowed him over the last two seasons, but if he stays healthy, he gives LSU a steady presence.
The Tigers also added the former Kansas State standout, who led the Wildcats in receiving in each of the past two seasons. At 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds, he gives LSU an explosive slot option and another player who could make an impact right away.
In Other News...
Pete Golding Just Went Off As Ole Miss Drama Follows Kiffin To LSU
Pete Golding spent SEC media days trying to steer the conversation back to football, but the Ole Miss coach ended up talking about the sports messier edges instead. Asked about tampering allegations involving linebacker Luke Ferrelli, Golding pushed back on the idea that one program is uniquely guilty, arguing the transfer portal has created a recruiting system where everyone is chasing players and everybody knows it. He also used the moment to defend the way coaches operate in the current landscape, drawing a direct line between player movement and the same kind of aggressive recruiting that has long defined the sport.
Goldings comments came with plenty of other Ole Miss undercurrents still hanging in the air, including the programs ongoing relationship with Lane Kiffin after his move to LSU. Golding said the two remain on good terms, even as fans continue to process the changes around the Rebels and the broader fallout from a roster and staff reshuffle that has kept this story moving well beyond the podium. For Ole Miss, the frustration is not just about one accusation or one departure, but about a system that keeps forcing schools to explain where competition ends and tampering begins. [Read more 🡒]
Pete Golding Just Unloaded On Lane Kiffin Over LSU Drama
Pete Golding used his time at SEC Media Days to frame one of the offseasons more delicate roster battles as a lesson in loyalty, legacy and what it means to stay put. The Ole Miss coach said he talked to players about the value of the programs alumni support and the long view of their careers, making the case that leaving can carry consequences beyond the immediate move.
Goldings comments also put Lane Kiffin back at the center of the conversation, with the Ole Miss staff clearly trying to keep players from being pulled along with him to LSU. The backdrop here is bigger than one decision or one transfer window: it is about how a coach sells stability to players when another job, another program and another set of promises are suddenly in the mix. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Just Put A Massive Label On LSUs New QB
Sam Leavitt arrived at LSU with a rsum that already says plenty about why the Tigers are betting on him to take over at quarterback. The Arizona State transfer helped lead his former team to the College Football Playoff quarterfinals, and the buzz around him has only grown since Lane Kiffin started drawing comparisons between Leavitt and one of the most productive quarterbacks he has coached.
Kiffins praise went beyond the usual offseason optimism, with the Ole Miss coach projecting Leavitt as the kind of talent that could hear his name called early in the NFL draft. He also pointed to the way Leavitt throws and moves as reasons the fit makes sense, while expressing confidence that the foot issue that slowed him last season will not keep him from making an impact this fall. [Read more 🡒]