LSU Football Projected Depth Chart Places Tigers in Rare Territory After Portal Class

Lane Kiffin and Co. assemble a historic Transfer Portal haul, ink nine Top-100 signees across three-week stretch.

Courtesy of Tyree Holloway's Instagram.

Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers have revamped the roster in Baton Rouge after assembling the No. 1 Transfer Portal Class in America with over 40 newcomers heading to campus.

Once the portal window opened for business, Kiffin and Co. wasted no time in making a splash with the program "big-game hunting" for the top talent in the market.

Kiffin called his shot during his introductory press conference on Dec. 1 where he quickly backed it up across the three-week Transfer Portal window in January with nine Top-100 players signing with the program.

"Then go to the portal, which I have zero concern about the interest of players with that, because 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, I mean, makes me want to get on the phone right now, but the portal is not open," Kiffin said on Dec. 1.

Now, with over 55 total newcomers heading to Baton Rouge between the 2026 Recruiting Class and Transfer Portal haul, the new-look depth chart has expectations rising.

Courtesy of Ty Benefield's Instagram.

The Projected Depth Chart:

Quarterback

Projected Starter: Sam Leavitt

Depth: Husan Longstreet, Landen Clark

Leavitt checks in as the No. 1 overall player in the NCAA Transfer Portal with Kiffin and Co. landing their signal-caller for the 2026 season.

The coveted quarterback didn't play the full length of the 2025 season due to a foot injury, but managed to finish with 1,628 yards passing and 10 touchdowns. He threw only three interceptions while also rushing for 306 yards and five scores.

He had his money year in 2024 after leading the Sun Devils to the College Football Playoff amid his first season with the program under Kenny Dillingham and Co.

Leavitt rounded out his 2024 campaign throwing for 2,885 yards and 24 touchdowns as the Sun Devils reached the College Football Playoff in a historic year for the program in Tempe.

Running Back

Projected Starter: Harlem Berry

Depth: Caden Durham, Dilin Jones, Rod Gainey Jr., Raycine Guillory, and Stacy Gage

Harlem Berry, the No. 1 running back in the 2025 Recruiting Cycle, signed with the Tigers last December as the headliner in the program's class where he's coming off of a strong start in Baton Rouge.

Across his true freshman season, Berry totaled 491 yards rushing on 104 carries and two touchdowns where his workload increased dramatically down the stretch of the season.

Now, the former five-star will look to carry major reps in 2026 with a stable of backs behind him headlined by Caden Durham and Wisconsin's Dilin Jones amid a complete revamp of the running back room.

#LSU has now landed nine Top-100 players in the Transfer Portal.

That includes:
- No. 1 QB Sam Leavitt
- No: 1 OL Jordan Seaton
- No. 1 EDGE Princewill Umanmielen
- No. 2 Safety Ty Benefield
- No. 3 IOL Devin Harper

Three Top-5 transfers signed.

No. 1 class in America. pic.twitter.com/kD83OhSZLe

— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) January 24, 2026

Wide Receiver:

Projected Starters: Jayce Brown, Eugene Wilson, Jackson Harris

Depth: Tre Brown III. Winston Watkins, Tyree Holloway, Roman Mothershed, Josh Jackson, Phillip Wright, Malik Elzy

Freshmen: Jabari Mack, Brayden Allen, Corey Barber

Kiffin and Co. have retooled the wide receiver room this offseason with 12 newcomers making their way to Baton Rouge after seeing double-digit losses to both the Transfer Portal and NFL Draft.

The player we're keeping tabs on is Jayce Brown from Kansas State. The 6-foot, 180-pounder out of Florida is coming off of a junior campaign where he logged 712 receiving yards on 41 receptions for five touchdowns.

Across three seasons with the Wildcats, Brown compiled nearly 2,000 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns on over 100 catches.

From there, it's an embarrassment of riches for Kiffin and the Bayou Bengals to work with after inking four Top-50 wideouts in the portal.

Tight End:

Projected Starter: Trey'Dez Green

Depth: Malachi Thomas, JD LaFleur, Zach Grace

Freshman: JC Anderson

LSU star tight end Trey'Dez Green led the Bayou Bengals with seven touchdown receptions this past year as he emerged as a key target in the red-zone.

In what became a breakout season for the 6-foot-7, 245-pound receiving threat, Green also ranked third on the team with 433 yards as part of a standout sophomore season.

Now, Green will look to level up to All-SEC status with a stable of pieces to work with behind him in 2026.

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

Offensive Line:

Projected Starters: Jordan Seaton, Devin Harper, Braelin Moore, Aliou Bah, Weston Davis

Transfer Additions: JaKolby Jones, Ja’Quan Sprinkle, Will Satterwhite, Darrin Strey, Sean Thompkins, Ja’Mard Jones.

Returnees: Solomon Thomas, Bo Bordelon, Brett Bordelon,

Freshmen: Brysten Martinez, Ryan Miret

The splash addition was made on Friday night after Jordan Seaton - the No. 1 offensive lineman in the Transfer Portal - revealed a commitment to the LSU Tigers.

Now, LSU has added a pair of Top-100 offensive linemen in Seaton and Devin Harper with sources also speaking highly of Maryland transfer Aliou Bah.

Defensive Tackle:

Projected Starters: Dominick McKinley, Stephiylan Green

Depth: Malik Blocton, Achilles Woods, Shone Washington

Freshmen: Lamar Brown, Richard Anderson, Deuce Geralds

This will arguably be the most talented room on the 2026 roster with multiple transfer additions joining former five-star Dom McKinley alongside another pair of five-stars in Lamar Brown and Richard Anderson.

EDGE:

Projected Starters: Princewill Umanmielen, Gabriel Reliford

Depth: Jordan Ross, Jaylen Brown, Damien Shanklin, Dylan Carpenter, Kolaj Cobbins

Freshman: Trenton Henderson

LSU made a splash in signing Princewill Umanmielen at the buzzer in the Transfer Portal with the Top-5 free agent heading to Baton Rouge. Alongside Umanmielen should be Reliford - with Tennessee transfer Jordan Ross also in the mix to receive big-time snaps.

Linebacker:

Projected Starters: Whit Weeks, TJ Dottery

Depth: Davhon Keys, Tylen Singleton, Charles Ross, Jaiden Braker, Zach Weeks, Keylan Moses, Theo Grace

Courtesy of LSU Football.

Cornerbacks:

Projected Starters: DJ Pickett, PJ Woodland

Depth: Ja’Keem Jackson, Michael Turner, Aidan Anding

Freshmen: Havon Finney Jr., Dezyrian Ellis

Courtesy of DJ Pickett's Instagram.

Safety:

Projected Starters: Tamarcus Cooley, Dashawn Spears, Ty Benefield

Depth: Faheem Delane, CJ Jimcoily, Jhase Thomas, Treylan James, Mason Dossett

Freshmen: Aiden Hall, Isaiah Washington

We're placing Benefield in the safety category here - but the expectation is that he could slide down to the STAR along with Spears or Cooley.

More LSU News:

Nick Saban Names LSU No. 1 Coaching Job in College Football Amid Lane Kiffin Move

Lane Kiffin Pulls Off Historic Feat in Landing Commitment From Princewill Umanmielen

One Underrated Transfer in LSU Football's No. 1 Ranked Portal Class Under Lane Kiffin

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