When LSU overhauled its roster in December and January, Lane Kiffin knew exactly where the story would eventually land: back in the transfer portal.
That’s what Year 1 was always going to be about. The Tigers signed more than 40 transfers, turning themselves into what Kiffin calls a "portal team."
And as LSU settles into its open date, that class deserves a real accounting. Some additions have looked every bit like difference-makers.
A few have barely moved the needle. A couple have become the kind of unexpected wins that can shape an entire season.
The headliners have done their part.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt, left tackle Jordan Seaton, defensive end Princewill Umanmielen and safety Ty Benefield arrived with the weight of expectation, and all four have delivered. Leavitt has become the SEC’s leading passer, completing 70% of his throws and averaging 8.5 yards per attempt while tossing 17 touchdowns against eight interceptions. He has also cleaned up the turnovers lately, going two straight weeks without a pick after throwing at least one in each of LSU’s first six games.
Seaton has settled in as well. Pro Football Focus says the left tackle has allowed 11 pressures, four more than he gave up all last year, but none of them have turned into a sack or a hit. That’s about as clean as it gets for an offensive tackle.
Benefield ended up in the Star role after Dashawn Spears went down with a season-ending knee injury in Week 3, and he has been one of the better safeties in the country at creating disruption. He has pressured opposing quarterbacks seven times, a mark topped by only three FBS safeties, according to PFF. He has missed just three tackles and allowed only nine catches for 77 yards on 19 targets in coverage.
Umanmielen has been a force off the edge. His 8.5 sacks rank third among FBS pass rushers, and he needs four more to break LSU’s single-season sack record.
For a team trying to get real production out of premium spots, those four have checked the box.
Not every portal gamble has paid off, though.
LSU hasn’t gotten much from one of its top transfer wide receivers or from two tight ends brought in to fill reserve roles behind Trey'Dez Green. The Tigers also remain thin in spots along the offensive line. Baylor transfer Sean Thompkins couldn’t unseat Weston Davis at right tackle, and Ole Miss transfer Devin Harper hasn’t pushed for snaps on the interior, even after LSU shuffled the line following the loss to Ole Miss in Week 3.
That inconsistency has shown up where LSU can least afford it. The Tigers now have transfers starting at both left guard and right, and Kiffin was blunt about the group on Oct.
18: "I think our guards play inconsistent," Kiffin said Oct. 18.
"They play well at times, and then they have some poor plays."
The receiver room has had its own quiet disappointment. Jayce Brown, a Kansas State transfer who piled up 1,900 receiving yards over his first three college seasons, has only eight catches for 89 yards so far.
Kiffin addressed that on Oct. 12: "It just happens sometimes," Kiffin said Oct. 12, "and everybody doesn't get to play.
We still have high hopes for (Brown). He's working really hard out there, and if chances come, we expect him to make the play."
Tight end has been another area where LSU clearly wanted more. Kiffin tried to add Dae'Quan Wright in August, but when the SEC blocked that move, he shifted Roman Mothershed from receiver to tight end. That tells the story on its own: LSU doesn’t trust either of its two transfer tight ends, Malachi Thomas from Pitt or Zach Grace from Oregon.
But the biggest takeaway from this portal class may be the players LSU found who weren’t supposed to become stars.
Running back Dilin Jones, wide receiver Jackson Harris and defensive end Jordan Ross have turned into major wins. Ross had just 1.5 sacks across his first two seasons, then exploded into a much bigger role this fall.
The Tennessee transfer already has five sacks, tied for sixth in the SEC, and he’s helped give LSU a real edge up front alongside Umanmielen and freshman defensive tackle Deuce Geralds. Last season, LSU couldn’t get more than four sacks from its most productive pass rusher, Harold Perkins.
That problem looks a lot different now.
Harris has been even more of a revelation. He leads SEC receivers with seven touchdown catches and ranks fourth in the league with 634 receiving yards.
After proving he could produce at Hawaii, he’s now operating like a true No. 1 receiver in the SEC. He put that on display Saturday against Auburn, when he caught nine passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
Jones might be the best find of all. The Wisconsin transfer wasn’t viewed as one of the top 50 running backs available in the portal, but LSU made him its lead back anyway, and he’s become one of the team’s most important players.
He runs it, catches it and blocks for Leavitt. No other SEC running back has reached at least 600 rushing yards and 200 receiving yards this season, and Jones has forced 39 missed tackles, according to PFF.
Only six FBS backs have forced more.
That’s the sort of portal hit that can define a class.
So while LSU’s transfer haul hasn’t been perfect, it has been strong enough to give Kiffin a legitimate foundation in Year 1. The stars have starred, the misses have been manageable, and the surprise contributors have added real value. Now the question is how far that group can carry the Tigers down the stretch.
In Other News...
LSU Is Getting Healthier Right As Its Toughest Stretch Begins
LSU is finally starting to get some good news on the injury front at a time when it badly needs it. Tight end TreyDez Green made his return in Week 8 after dealing with a knee injury, giving the Tigers another option back in the lineup as they come out of the bye week and prepare for the grind of the SEC schedule.
Whit Weeks is the bigger name to watch next, with the linebacker targeting a return for Alabama after recovering from an ankle fracture. LSU still has several players sidelined for the year, so the roster is far from whole, but getting healthier now matters with the toughest stretch of the season ahead and little margin for error left. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Doubles Down On LSU Move Amid Early Tigers Scrutiny
Lane Kiffin is already leaning into the realities of his move from Ole Miss to LSU, and he made clear during a media teleconference and a podcast appearance that he has no second thoughts about it. He talked up the football culture in Baton Rouge, pointed to the support around the program and framed the decision as one rooted in the long view, even as the Tigers continue to draw early scrutiny around how the transition is unfolding.
Kiffin also addressed where LSU stands right now on the field and in the roster-building process, sounding optimistic about where the program can go from here. The early-season conversation has naturally focused on results and fit, but Kiffins message was less about immediate hand-wringing and more about believing the foundation is there for something bigger to develop. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Hate What Happened To This Alabama Showdown
The SEC finally put a clock on LSUs November 7 showdown with Alabama, and for Tiger fans, it is one they did not want to see. The league announced the game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. CT on ABC, setting up the first afternoon meeting between the programs in Baton Rouge since 2010 and taking away the kind of night atmosphere that has long made this rivalry feel bigger than a regular conference game.
It also gives the matchup a little extra weight beyond the usual stakes. This will be the final annual meeting before the SECs revised scheduling rotation interrupts the series, and LSU and Alabama will not be back in Baton Rouge together until at least 2030. For a fan base that expected one more true primetime version of this game, the television slot landed like a letdown. [Read more 🡒]