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

Kiffin and the Bayou Bengals are cruising in the Transfer Portal, hold America's No. 1 class by a wide margin.

LSU head coach Brian Kelly and Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin shake hands after a college football game between Ole Miss and LSU at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. Ole Miss defeated LSU 24-19. | Ayrton Breckenridge/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers have America's attention as the program in Baton Rouge continues dominating the NCAA Transfer Portal in January.

Once Kiffin arrived in the Bayou State on Nov. 30, the new shot-caller of the program reiterated the need to bring back a championship culture to town where he's quickly flipped the script.

Less than two months ago, LSU was without a full-time university president, athletic director, or head football coach. Now, the program is flourishing with Kiffin in town as the identity surrounding the program has virtually changed over night.

From athletic director Verge Ausberry officially hiring Kiffin to moves behind the scenes, business is booming in Baton Rouge under new leadership.

“This place is built for championships with championship expectations. We understand that, but as an elite competitor, that’s exactly what you want, and that’s why we’re here,” Kiffin said at his introductory press conference. …

"I know that we have, with the passion of LSU family and our LSU players, that we have everything to bring championship football back to LSU.

Courtesy of LSU Tigers Football.

“It’s time for LSU to take its place back as the best program in all of college football. … I’m uniquely prepared at 50 years old for this job to have been so many places, done good things, made a lot of mistakes and made them really early on.”

Now, Kiffin is in the midst of pulling off another historic recruiting feat across his first offseason in Baton Rouge.

Once he officially inked his deal with the program, Kiffin landed 14 signees to the program's 2026 Recruiting Cycle - including five-star defensive linemen Lamar Brown and Richard Anderson.

Since then, there has been a primary focus on stacking the Transfer Portal haul with LSU now holding the No. 1 class in America by a wide margin.

Here's how it came together.

The Transfer Portal Tracker:

Quarterback (2):
Sam Leavitt - 6'2, 205 pounds - Arizona State Sun Devils
Hussan Longstreet - 6'0, 200 pounds - USC Trojans
Landen Clark - 6-foot, 186 pounds - Elon Phoenix

Running Back (2):
Raycine Guillory - 5'9, 190 pounds - Utah Utes
Rod Gainey Jr. - 6'0, 175 pounds - Charlotte 49ers
Dilin Jones - 6'0, 205 pounds - Wisconsin Badgers

Wide Receiver (9):
Jackson Harris - 6'3, 205 pounds - Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
Tre Brown - 6'2, 180 pounds - Old Dominion Monarchs
Jayce Brown - 6'0, 179 pounds - Kansas State Wildcats
Eugene 'Tre' Wilson - 5'10, 194 pounds - Florida Gators
Tyree Holloway - 6'0, 180 pounds - West Florida Argonauts
Malik Elzy - 6'2, 225 pounds - Illinois Fighting Illini
Josh Jackson - 6'2, 185 pounds - McNeese State Cowboys
Winston Watkins - 6'2, 185 pounds - Ole Miss Rebels
Roman Mothershed - 6'4, 208 pounds - Troy Trojans

Courtesy of Tyree Holloway's Instagram.

Tight End (1):
Malachi Thomas - 6'4, 240 pounds - Pitt Panthers

Offensive Line (4):
Ja'Quan Sprinkle - 6'4, 325 pounds - North Carolina Central Eagles
William Satterwhite - 6'3, 305 pounds - Tennessee Volunteers
JaKolby Jones - 6'4, 285 pounds - Copiah-Lincoln Community College
Darrin Strey - 6'7, 322 pounds - Kentucky Wildcats

EDGE (3)
Jordan Ross - 6'5, 245 pounds - Tennessee Volunteers
Jaylen Brown - 6'5, 265 pounds - South Carolina Gamecocks
Achilles Woods - 6.3, 289 pounds - South Alabama Jaguars

Defensive Line (2)
Malik Blocton - 6'3, 291 pounds - Auburn Tigers
Stephiylan Green - 6'4, 290 pounds - Clemson Tigers

Safety (1):
Ty Benefield - 6'2, 205 pounds - Boise State Broncos

Special Teams (3):
P Hayden Craig - 6'1, 208 pounds - Florida Gators
LS Mack Mulhern - 6'0, 225 pounds - Florida Gators
K Scott Starzyk - 5'9, 172 pounds - Arkansas Razorbacks

More LSU News:

LSU Football's Transfer Portal Class Skyrockets To The Top After Sam Leavitt Decision

LSU Football's Transfer Portal Departures Quickly Finding New Schools Amid Rebuild

LSU Football Officially Signs No. 1 Transfer Quarterback Sam Leavitt to Portal Class

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