When Lane Kiffin took the LSU job, Ole Miss fans were worried about who he would end up poaching to go with him to Baton Rouge between the coaches and players. Pete Golding and new general manager Austin Thomas, who came over from LSU, did an excellent job retaining top players, keeping them from following their head coach. Kewan Lacy and Trinidad Chambliss marked the biggest player retention wins even if Chambliss is now awaiting a legal battle to play next season.
The issue for Ole Miss is that there are only so many players open to coming back when the Transfer Portal can end up netting you more. Once the season came to an end, Ole Miss started to lose players to the Transfer Portal, and it was only a matter of time before one ended up in Baton Rouge.
Lane Kiffin lands Winston Watkins as first Ole Miss defection
When freshman wide receiver Winston Watkins entered the Transfer Portal, everyone instantly circled LSU as the most likely landing spot given his relationships with the Tigers staff. On Sunday Night, Winston Watkins made it official, committing to his head coach after a visit to Baton Rouge.
BREAKING: Ole Miss true freshman transfer WR Winston Watkins Jr. has Committed to LSU, he tells @On3sports
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 12, 2026
Watkins totaled 26 receptions for 373 yards and 1 TD in 2025 (14.3 YPC)https://t.co/RlUbB6EMhS pic.twitter.com/s3RZew9hKx
This season, Winston Watkins Jr made an instant impact for Ole Miss, catching 26 passes for 373 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 21 yards. Winston Watkins jumps from one loaded wide receiver room to another as Lane Kiffin has added a haul of wide receiver talent to help replace all that LSU lost to the Transfer Portal and the draft.
The biggest question now for Lane Kiffin is which quarterback will end up throwing to this incredible room of wide receivers? Lane Kiffin landed Elon's Landen Clark on Sunday Night, but everyone expects him to land a bigger name quarterback to start in 2026.