A new era has begun in Baton Rouge as LSU moved on from Brian Kelly in-season, and made the biggest splash of the coaching carousel, reeling in Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss. The Tigers want to return to championship contention, and bringing in a coach of Kiffin's caliber speeds that timeline up immensely.
As Lane Kiffin inherited a roster with a ton of holes, he needed to get to work fixing this team in order to succeed early on. Luckily, LSU hired the "Transfer Portal King", and they proved to be bought into his vision, giving him all the resources he needed to completely change this roster overnight.
Grading the LSU Tigers exciting offseason
Most Important Addition: Sam Leavitt
Lane Kiffin needed to land a star quarterback as LSU was left without any returning scholarship quarterbacks. Sam Leavitt appeared to be LSU's top target, and Lane Kiffin delivered him giving the team an elite signal caller that will allow the Tigers to compete for a championship in 2026. Sam Leavitt missed a ton of time in 2025 with injury, but when you look back on when he was healthy and the 2024 season, he's clearly one of the best quarterbacks in the Country.
Most Impactful Addition: Princewill Umanmielen
The Tigers needed to replace their three best edge rushers as Patrick Payton, Jack Pyburn, and Jimari Butler are all off to the NFL Draft. Late in the Transfer Portal cycle, Princewill Umanmielen left Ole Miss, and he instantly became a player Lane Kiffin needed to add. The Tigers are getting a star edge rusher after Umanmielen's 9 sack season, and he'll be the biggest piece on a defensive line that needs to take a big leap.
Sleeper Addition: TJ Dottery
Lost in all of Lane Kiffin's big additions is the fact that the Tigers brought in the SEC's leading tackler TJ Dottery from Ole Miss. West Weeks is off to the NFL, and plugging Dottery into his place next to Whit Weeks and Davhon Keys gives this defense one of the scariest linebacker units in the Country.
Highest Upside Addition: Faheem Delane
When Faheem Delane was coming out of High School, the LSU Tigers pushed to get him into their recruiting class, but he ended up signing with Ohio State. After developing Mansoor Delane into a first round pick, the Tigers got a second chance to land the younger brother, and they didn't waste the chance. Delane has a ton of talent, and working with this defensive staff he should develop into a key piece in the secondary long term.
Biggest Loss: Carius Curne
There wasn't a ton of pieces that LSU lost that the Tigers wish they could've kept, but Carius Curne is a massive loss. The former 5-star recruit spent plenty of time on the Tigers offensive line this season showing a ton of potential as an offensive tackle. The Tigers added big pieces to replace Curne, but keeping him in the picture may have allowed the team to focus elsewhere.
Hiring Grade: A+
LSU wanted to bring that swagger and energy back to Baton Rouge, and Lane Kiffin is the perfect coach to do it. On the field, Kiffin is one of the best offensive minds in the sport, and he'll bring the Tigers back to competing for championships. The biggest reason you go and get Lane Kiffin is his ability to build a roster, and with LSU's resources, it's already proving to be a massive success.
Offensive Grade: A+
The way that Lane Kiffin has flipped the entire offense is incredible to see as he's set the Tigers up in the short and long term. Adding Sam Leavitt was massive, but also bringing in Husan Longstreet and Landen Clark sets this team up beyond 2026. Jordan Seaton may have been the biggest addition for any team this offseason as he instantly bolsters this offensive line. Kiffin also brought in a wide variety of weapons which will help Sam Leavitt continue to be an elite playmaker.
Defensive Grade: A
The Tigers didn't need to add a ton on defense with Blake Baker and his staff returning along with a ton of key pieces. Adding a pass rusher of Princewill Umanmielen's caliber instantly takes this unit to another level while if Jordan Ross can grow rushing opposite him, this unit will be terrifying. The Tigers added a ton of high upside pieces, and if some of them can prove to be hits, it'll give this unit an even greater chance of winning it all in 2026.
Overall Grade: A+
There's really nothing negative that you can say about how the offseason went for the LSU Tigers. Any need this roster had coming into the offseason has been filled, and in most cases it's been filled with a star player. The hard part for Lane Kiffin will be getting everyone to gel together, but he's brought in more than enough talent to make a push for the College Football Playoff.