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The college football world was on the edge of its set for a couple of weeks in late 2025. Lane Kiffin, who had guided Ole Miss to the No. 6 seed in the College Football Playoff, was torn on whether to stay and continue what he built or jet off for LSU.
Ultimately, Kiffin decided to leave his team before the CFP, accepting the LSU Tigers head coach position and quickly getting to work contacting potential additions to his new team. He has certainly done extremely well in the transfer portal, and media members have taken notice.
Paul Finebaum and Louis Riddick fill Lane Kiffin with praise
Notable college football analyst Paul Finebaum was asked which team "won the offseason", and he wasted no time answering: "Lane Kiffin, how many times do I need to say that!"
He dominated the end of the season with his move, then the CFP chaos. And then he brought in the portal. You mentioned [Sam] Leavitt, that was a major acquisition. He desperately had to have a quarterback. He did so well in the portal. That could be a problem, though, he's got so many new players on that team. But I think, even with a difficult schedule, LSU is a CFP team.
Louis Riddick echoed Finebaum's sentiment, saying that "I don't think there's anyone who understands the portal" as well as Kiffin does.
LSU brought in tons of high-level talent through transfer portal thanks to Lane Kiffin
Per ESPN, LSU added eight of the top 100 players in their transfer rankings. The three most important additions were quite clear: a top quarterback and the best available offensive tackle and pass-rusher.
- Sam Leavitt, QB, Arizona State
- Jordan Seaton, OT, Colorado
- Princewill Umanmielen, EDGE, Ole Miss
- Ty Benefield, S, Boise State
- Jayce Brown, WR, Kansas State
- Jordan Ross, EDGE, Tennessee
- Winston Watkins, WR, Ole Miss
- Eugene Wilson III, WR, Florida
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Kiffin placed an emphasis on wide receivers and EDGE defenders. He wants his team to be explosive at pass-catching and pass-rushing. Getting Sam Leavitt, who had a ton of interest from other teams, was crucial as well - since Garrett Nussmeier is headed for the NFL.
Kiffin ended up building a monster of a roster at Ole Miss during his time there. It certainly seems like he's well on his way to doing the exact same thing at LSU.