Paul Finebaum Reveals Rave Review for LSU Football's Portal Class Under Lane Kiffin

Kiffin and Co. are in the midst of a historic stretch in Baton Rouge, dominating Transfer Portal market.

Nov 28, 2025; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi Rebels head coach Lane Kiffin looks on before the game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Lane Kiffin has quickly rejuvenated the LSU Tigers across his first 50 days in Baton Rouge with the program reaping the benefits of his efforts already.

Once Kiffin made the move to depart the Ole Miss Rebels for the gig in the Bayou State, he immediately assembled a star-studded staff headlined by bringing in offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr. paired with retaining Blake Baker on defense.

After the the staff was quickly put in place, there was a focus on the 2026 Recruiting Class and LSU's Transfer Portal Class.

Now, it's all quickly coming together for the Bayou Bengals with the program flaunting the No. 1 Transfer Portal Class by a wide margin - headlined by the top-ranked player in Sam Leavitt.

LSU has inked eight Top-100 transfers, four Top-50 wide receivers, and double-digit Top-150 players with the haul reaching new heights under Kiffin's leadership.

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

He's taken America by storm with the national media recognizing the ascension of the LSU Tigers - while other schools are sitting back and watching.

“Looking around the SEC, LSU is clearly moving up, and if you watch the portal closely, Alabama is moving down,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Podcast.

“One of its best players went to Texas, (while the Tide) got a player the other day from Cal Poly. I’ve never seen Alabama get players from Cal Poly, they’re getting players from West Coast teams.”

LSU is taking that next step under Kiffin's leadership with the new-look roster already beginning to turn heads.

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

“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.”

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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