LSU Football's Transfer Portal Haul Reaches New Heights With Eight Top-100 Signees

The LSU Tigers have assembled one of the strongest rosters in America this offseason after opening up the checkbook in order to land the top talent in the NCAA Transfer Portal.

Across what has been nothing short of a chaotic two and a half week stretch for the program, LSU has inked eight Top-100 transfers to the portal haul in January.

From the crown jewel in Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt to a pair of top edge rushers available, Kiffin and Co. made sure to retool the roster in Baton Rouge as championship expectations rise this offseason.

“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.

“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.”

BREAKING: #LSU has landed a commitment from the No. 1 EDGE in the Transfer Portal: Princewill Umanmielen.

The 6’5, 245-pound Ole Miss transfer is the No. 5 overall transfer in the portal after tallying 9.0 sacks + 45 tackles in 2025.

Lane Kiffin and Co. strike gold once again. pic.twitter.com/Xzwc5yJxCO
— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) January 21, 2026

LSU has eight Top-100 signees, according to 247Sports, in the transfer portal haul. Which newcomers stand out?

Lane Kiffin's Historic Portal Haul:

No. 1 Overall: QB Sam Leavitt - Arizona State

Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt checks in as the No. 1 transfer in the portal despite not playing the full length of the 2025 season due to a foot injury.

Leavitt managed to finish with 1,628 yards passing and 10 touchdowns while throwing three interceptions - also rushing for 306 yards and five scores.

The coveted 6-foot-2, 205-pound signal-caller had his "money year" in 2024 after leading the Sun Devils to the College Football Playoff amid his first season with the program.

Leavitt rounded out his 2024 campaign throwing for 2,885 yards and 24 touchdowns as the Sun Devils reached the College Football Playoff under head coach Kenny Dillingham.

No. 5 Overall: EDGE Princewill Umanmielen - Ole Miss

Ole Miss EDGE Princewill Umanmielen entered the NCAA Transfer Portal database early Wednesday morning where he wasted no time in making things official with the program in Baton Rouge.

The coveted SEC defender checks in as the No. 1 rated edge rusher in the Transfer Portal and the No. 5 overall player in this year's cycle after revealing his decision.

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Texas native is fresh off of a strong junior season after making his way to the SEC - logging 45 total tackles while also tallying a strong 12 tackles for loss, eight sacks, two pass breakups and an interception on the season.

LSU Tigers Football. — Oct 11, 2025; Oxford, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels linebacker Princewill Umanmielen (1) defends during the fourth quarter against the Washington State Cougars at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

No. 21 Overall: QB Husan Longstreet - USC

Longstreet originally put pen to paper with the USC as a consensus top-five signal-caller in the 2025 Recruiting Cycle where he checked in as a five-star prospect in his class.

The 6-foot, 200-pounder made the decision to join Lincoln Riley and the Trojans over the likes of the Texas A&M Aggies, Michigan Wolverines, Miami Hurricanes, and Ole Miss Rebels, among several others, out of high school.

During his lone year in Los Angeles, he completed 13-of-15 attempts for 103 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing 11 times for 76 yards and two more scores.

No. 40 Overall: S Ty Benefield - Boise State

Benefield checks in as the No. 2 rated safety in the NCAA Transfer Portal with Lane Kiffin and Co. immediately boosting the secondary after landing his services.

The 6-foot-2, 204-pounder received interest from a myriad of schools once officially in the Transfer Portal with LSU beating out the likes of the Oregon Ducks throughout his process.

Benefield logged 105 total tackles, 69 total tackles, 3 pass breakups, 2 interceptions and 1 forced fumble across the 2025 season for his Broncos squad.

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

That includes:
- No. 1 QB Sam Leavitt
- No. 6 QB Husan Longstreet
- No. 2 Safety Ty Benefield
- No. 3 IOL Devin Harper
- No. 8 EDGE Jordan Ross

LSU has four Top-50 wideouts committed.

No. 1 class in America. pic.twitter.com/2RF34uJgd3
— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) January 16, 2026

The Top-100 Signees:
- No. 1: QB Sam Leavitt
- No. 5: EDGE Princewill Umanmielen
- No. 21: QB Husan Longstreet
- No. 40: S Ty Benefield
- No. 55: WR Eugene Wilson
- No. 59: EDGE Jordan Ross
- No. 79: IOL Devin Harper
- No. 95: WR Jayce Brown

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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