Lane Kiffin Pulls Off Historic Feat In First Signing Class As LSU Football Head Coach

LSU Tigers head coach Lane Kiffin arrived in Baton Rouge last Sunday with roughly 72 hours until the Early Signing Period kicked off on Wednesday morning.

The new shot-caller of the Bayou Bengals inherited a class with multiple highly-touted commits, but getting over the finish line became his first point off attack after landing in the Bayou State.

"That is our number one focus right now is to sign the best class that we possibly can Wednesday," Kiffin said on Monday. "Also, we have big-picture thinking too.

"We're not reaching or we're not signing kids because they're from this school or that school or any of that stuff, okay? We're going to sign the best players that we can on Wednesday.

"I know what the interest was of players nationally to come play for us where we were just at, and now when you put that with this stadium and with that logo, it makes me want to get on the phone right now."

LSU Tigers Football. — Dec 1, 2025; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin speaks at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Kiffin and his staff at LSU quickly began putting in work on the recruiting scene - flipping prospects from Ole Miss, doubling down on current LSU commits, and making decisions on players that weren't on his board.

Now, with the Early Signing Period in the rearview mirror, Kiffin and Co. have locked in 14 signees to the 2026 Recruiting Class.

Yes, it isn't 25-plus like "normal" LSU classes may have, but the new staff in Baton Rouge took a "quality over quantity" approach with the Tigers holding the highest average player grade of 93.81, according to 247Sports.

That's the highest average player grade in America.

LSU signed a pair of five-star prospects, 8 four-stars, and 4 three-stars in the 2026 Recruiting Class with multiple "under-the-radar" players.

Lane Kiffin’s first Signing Class as the HC of the #LSU Tigers:

- Lamar Brown: No. 1 Recruit in America
- Richard Anderson: No. 1 DT in America
- Deuce Geralds: No. 3 DT in America
- Trenton Henderson: Top-10 EDGE
- Jabari Mack: No. 1 WR in Louisiana

“Just Different” in Year 1. pic.twitter.com/sDpEyRw7Be
— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) December 5, 2025

On Friday, LSU got over the finish line for the No. 1 overall prospect: Lamar Brown.

Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab five-star prospect Lamar Brown officially signed with the LSU Tigers on Friday - giving Kiffin his first No. 1 prospect ever signed.

Brown, the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 Recruiting Cycle, made the decision to commit to the LSU Tigers in July with the Bayou Bengals then landing the top-ranked recruit in America.

In what became a two-team race between the LSU Tigers and Texas A&M Aggies, the opportunity to play in front of his friends and family set the pace in his decision-making process.

"It just feels good to play for my state and city. Not just for three or four years but for years after football life. I'm just blessed to be in this position and ready to play in Tiger Stadium," Brown said after his commitment.

LSU Tigers Football: Lamar Brown. — Courtesy of Lamar Brown's Instagram.

For the 6-foot-3, 285-pounder, his relationships within the building and trust in the new staff set the tone.

Now, LSU flaunts a Top-15 class in the 2026 Recruiting cycle with a pair of Louisiana five-stars headlining the star-studded haul in Baton Rouge.

More LSU News:

LSU Football Hires Elite Offensive Coordinator, Five Assistant to Lane Kiffin's Staff

Three Takeaways From Lane Kiffin's Introductory Press Conference With LSU Football

Lane Kiffin Reveals How Nick Saban, Pete Carroll Influenced Decision to LSU Football

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