Lane Kiffin’s first LSU roster is going to turn heads for all the obvious reasons. Sixty scholarship players for the 2026 season.
Forty-one coming from the nation’s No. 1 transfer portal class. Nineteen more from a top-15 recruiting haul.
That kind of overhaul is the story everyone wants to tell, and for good reason. It’s massive.
It’s bold. It’s one of the most dramatic year-to-year rebuilds any college program has ever attempted.
But the real long-term payoff at LSU may come from a smaller, quieter group already on campus: the freshmen and sophomores who were there before Kiffin arrived, or came in alongside him. They won’t generate the same buzz as the portal stars, but they may end up mattering more to the program’s future.
That’s the hidden advantage in all this turnover. Kiffin can keep dipping into the portal, but he also inherits a young core that gives him something sturdier than a one-year fix.
Cornerback D.J. Pickett is the cleanest example. The 6-foot-5 sophomore earned Freshman All-America honors in 2025, tied for the team lead with three interceptions and spent the season shutting down opposing receivers.
Running back Harlem Berry offers the same kind of head start on offense. The former five-star was the nation’s top running back recruit and ran for 491 yards as a true freshman. Now he enters year two as a player Kiffin can actually build around instead of having to replace through the portal.
There’s help coming on the defensive line, too. LSU’s incoming freshman group includes Lamar Brown, Richard Anderson and Deuce Geralds, giving Blake Baker’s defense a young trench core that could be ready to take over the position group as soon as next season.
And the young talent isn’t limited to the homegrown players already in the building. Some transfers fit that same long-view mold, including safety Faheem Delane, quarterback Husan Longstreet, center Devin Harper and kicker Scott Starzyk.
If LSU gets off to a fast start in 2026, that would do more than justify the portal spending. It would send a message to elite young recruits that they don’t have to sit through a rebuild to win in Baton Rouge. In a time when major prospects can also test the portal themselves, that matters.
It would also give Kiffin something coaches rarely get right away: breathing room. A strong year one would create patience, letting him develop players instead of living under pressure to reload every offseason.
That’s where the underclassmen become so important. The freshmen and sophomores already on campus could form the backbone of the team in 2026, while future recruiting cycles are used to add around that group instead of starting over.
LSU has won national titles before, but never with this kind of roster churn. The program has had portal firepower and homegrown stars before, but never a team with more than 60 new faces trying to make it all click at once.
That’s what makes this version of LSU different. The portal may set the ceiling in year one, but the young core sets the floor for years two, three and four.
If Kiffin gets the kind of start LSU is hoping for, it won’t just be a good season. It would be the first real sign that he’s building something built to last.
In Other News...
LSU Is Chasing A Transfer Prize It May Need Quickly
LSU is in the market for more firepower next season, and former Auburn forward Keyshawn Hall has emerged as a name to watch. Hall has already made the rounds in college basketball, and after being named to the All-SEC third team last year, he is looking to return to the college game as LSU evaluates transfer options that could make an immediate difference.
What makes Hall especially intriguing for the Tigers is the possibility that he could have another year of eligibility, which would add to his appeal as a proven scorer and rebounder. His camp is sorting through that path while LSU monitors the fit, giving the Tigers a potential boost at a time when frontcourt help could matter quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Devin Harper Gives LSU Another Big Offensive Line Question
LSUs August practices already carried their share of offensive line uncertainty, and Devin Harpers arrival only adds another layer to the mix. The sophomore lineman has gone through a winding path, first committing to LSU, then backing off that pledge and spending his freshman season at Ole Miss before following Lane Kiffin to Baton Rouge.
Harper played in six games for Ole Miss in 2025 and now shows up at LSU as the No. 2 left guard heading into camp, with the kind of versatility that can make him useful in more than one spot. For a group still trying to sort out its best combinations, he is both a potential answer and another reminder that nothing up front is settled yet. [Read more 🡒]
Deuce Geralds Is Giving LSU Fans Real Reason To Watch Him Early
A true freshman defensive tackle already has a real chance to matter for LSU heading into August practices, and Deuce Geralds arrives with the kind of resume that makes that more than just summer hype. The Collins Hill High School product from Suwanee, Georgia, was a highly ranked recruit and one of the nations top defensive tackle prospects, which is why his early placement near the top of the Tigers depth chart is drawing attention before the pads even come on.
Geralds also brings a football background that fits the SEC stage well, coming from a family with college experience and arriving after a high school career that showed he could impact the game on both sides of the line. For LSU, the intrigue is not just that hes a talented newcomer, but that he may be ready to push into a meaningful role almost immediately, giving fans something to track closely as camp unfolds. [Read more 🡒]