LSU Football's Five-Star Freshman and Nebraska's Dylan Raiola Among Top-10 Transfers

Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers are set to attack the NCAA Transfer Portal in January with the program set to utilize a treasure chest full of roster cash.

Once Kiffin arrived in Baton Rouge, he cited the alignment at LSU among the top reasons in what made the program an attractive destination with the financial backing sufficient enough to piece together a National Championship roster.

“[LSU AD Verge Ausberry] and his team had a really, really good plan,” Kiffin said on Dec. 1. “Even talking to some donors that are part of that plan here to see exactly, how does that work? There’s a great plan here.

"There’s a great plan here of how we can come together with what we bring and with what players around the country want to play for us and our systems, and then have that support to do that, so that they want to play for us and they get taken care of financially.

“Obviously, nowadays, it’s the world of college football and it’s important and it’s critical to them. It’s important to them. This was the best setup. That definitely played a factor into it. I don’t care what your systems are. Without good players, they don’t work.”

LSU Tigers Football. — Dec 1, 2025; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU president Wade Rousse, left, LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin and LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry stand together at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

LSU has lost 10 players to the NCAA Transfer Portal, but five-star freshman Carius Curne is the most significant loss to this point where he now comes in as a Top-10 player in the free agent matket, according to On3 Sports.

Curne joins the likes of Sam Leavitt and Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola.

Raiola, a promising youngster that took on a significant workload across his pair of seasons in Lincolm, will have a slew of potential suitors lining up for his services.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder started the first 22 games of his Nebraska career before suffering a season-ending right fibula injury against USC on Nov. 1.

Across two seasons, Raiola completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 4,819 yards, 31 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

Nebraska Cornhuskers Football. — Oct 25, 2025; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers quarterback Dylan Raiola (15) looks to throw a pass and offensive lineman Turner Corcoran (69) blocks against the Northwestern Wildcats during the third quarter at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

As the starter leading the Cornhuskers, Nebraska went 13-9 overall and 6-9 against Big Ten opponents with a significant workload put on his back.

Raiola comes in as the No. 5 rated player currently in the Transfer Portal while Curne comes in at No. 8 as the free agent market grows by the day.

Top 10 Transfer Portal Players‼️

Read: https://t.co/CeFfduUmcH pic.twitter.com/EK0EFUyqQT
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) December 18, 2025

Kiffin and the LSU Tigers are gearing up for a significant stretch in the Transfer Portal with a focus on adding significant talent as roster reconstruction continues.

"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.

More LSU News:

LSU Football Wide Receiver, Oklahoma Transfer Labeled 'Biggest Bust' in Portal

Lane Kiffin Pulls Off Historic Recruiting Feat Amid First Month With LSU Football

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

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Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU Tigers.