One Area LSU Must Be Elite In to Win the SEC

The LSU Tigers roll into the 2026 season with a new sense of buzz surrounding the program as they get set for the first year of the Lane Kiffin era in Baton Rouge.

Becoming competitive in year one is always difficult for a new coaching staff and roster; Kiffin was brought in to get the Tigers back toward the top of the SEC and college football. And Kiffin has constructed a roster with plenty of individual talent that he will be tasked with bringing together.

And while the Tigers will have plenty of moving parts in 2026, LSU will look to get things going in the right direction early on and gel as a team. A lot will obviously have to go right for the Tigers to get back to national prominence, but there's one facet in particular where LSU will have to be elite.

The LSU Passing Attack Needs to Be Elite

Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Mountain America Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A lot of the hype surrounding the Tigers heading into the 2026 season is about what the LSU offense will be able to look like now with Kiffin's offensive system. And for good reason, as Kiffin has built and run some of the top and most explosive offenses over the last few years in the SEC.

In his final season in Oxford, Kiffin had one of the most potent offenses in the country, and if LSU is going to have any chance of being competitive this season, he will have to once again construct a high-powered offense now in a new location.

And Kiffin will have plenty of talent at his disposal to do just that, starting with his quarterback, whom he hand-picked out of the transfer portal in Sam Leavitt. Leavitt is the ideal dual-threat quarterback for the Kiffin system, and the quarterback has the required arm strength to push the ball down the field as Kiffin likes to do.

The wide receiver room, which is obviously completely rebuilt, has the needed talent to be a difference-maker this year. The likes of Winston Watkins Jr., who has experience in the Kiffin scheme, Eugene Wilson III, who has plenty of SEC experience, or Jayce Brown, who has showcased his skills in the Big 12, will look to be Leavitt's top options.

One of the other big strengths will be the LSU passing attack not having to always depend on its wide receivers for game-changing plays. The offense also features star tight end Trey'Dez Green and running backs Harlem Berry and Caden Durham, who can catch the ball out of the backfield, all of which can make a huge difference.

For the Tigers to get back to the top of the SEC, their passing attack will have to run like a well-oiled machine to take down some of the top defenses in the conference. And for Kiffin, he has a proven scheme with players who have the talent to be game-breakers through the air, giving LSU possibly its biggest strength in 2026.

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