LSU is still early in the Lane Kiffin era, but Joel Klatt is already buying the Tigers as a real SEC Championship threat.
With the Tigers set to hit the midway point of season 1 under Kiffin this weekend against Kentucky, the picture around LSU remains a little blurry. The schedule has not yet turned into the kind of grind that usually tells you exactly what a team is made of, and the one true measuring stick so far came in a 32-24 loss to Ole Miss in Week 3, when Kiffin went back to Oxford.
Even with that blemish, Klatt came away from Wednesday’s episode of The Joel Klatt Show sounding bullish on both Kiffin and LSU. He pointed straight to the defense as the reason for his confidence.
“They’re kind of where they need to be at this point, and they have, what I think is the most important thing to have in the SEC, and that is a pass rush,” Klatt said. “They can get after the passer. They’ve got things on the defensive side that will cause major problems for the direct schedule and competitors… Don’t look now, but LSU could absolutely make a run at the SEC Championship.”
That kind of praise lands differently for an LSU team that has long been associated with offense first, especially in a Kiffin-led program. But through this stretch, it’s been the defense that has set the tone for the Tigers.
Whether Klatt is ultimately right about how good this group really is will be answered soon enough. LSU has seven weeks ahead to keep stacking wins and show it belongs in the SEC Championship conversation.
In Other News...
Ole Miss Fans Have One Big Uniform Fear With Adidas Coming In
Ole Miss is entering a new era in more ways than one. The Rebels have signed a seven-year apparel deal with Adidas, ending a 27-year run with Nike and giving the school a fresh partner across all 18 varsity programs. The agreement also expands name, image and likeness opportunities for student-athletes, while the university says it will keep creative control over uniform design.
For fans, though, the first question is a simple one: what happens to the football look they have come to love? No official details have been released yet on how Adidas will handle the Rebels uniforms, including the popular powder blue sets, and that uncertainty is already driving the conversation around the switch. The business side of the deal is set, but the part that will matter most on Saturdays is still waiting to be seen. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Is Making A Uniform Change Fans Will Definitely Notice
Ole Miss is heading into a major wardrobe shift, with athletics announcing a seven-year partnership with adidas that begins July 1, 2027. The move ends a 27-year run with Nike and will outfit all 18 varsity programs with adidas apparel, footwear and equipment, while also bringing expanded Name, Image and Likeness opportunities for student-athletes.
What figures to matter just as much to fans is how the Rebels look will change, because both sides say they plan to keep the schools traditional colors and marks intact. Even so, a new supplier usually means new details, new uniform concepts and a fresh branding push, so the rollout will be one to watch as Ole Miss starts sketching out the next era of its on-field identity. [Read more 🡒]
Eli Manning Just Put Ole Miss Fans In An Awkward Spot
Eli Manning has managed to make a simple family question a little more complicated for Ole Miss fans ahead of the Rebels trip to Austin. In an interview, the former Rebels quarterback said he will be pulling for his nephew, Arch Manning, and Texas in the upcoming matchup, even though Ole Miss is the school he helped define during his own playing days.
Mannings reasoning was as straightforward as it was awkward for the fan base: he said he has only a limited window to root for Arch during his college career, while remaining a lifelong supporter of Ole Miss outside of that. Arch, the starting quarterback at Texas, has already drawn national attention for his play, which only adds another layer to a game that will have plenty of eyes on it. [Read more 🡒]