Greg McElroy Places Lane Kiffin's LSU at Surprising Spot in 2026 Preseason Rankings

Greg McElroy believes LSU should not rank where many in the national media slot it ahead of the 2026 college football season.

Dec 28, 2019; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; ESPN commentator Greg McElroy looks on before the 2019 Peach Bowl college football playoff semifinal game between the LSU Tigers and the Oklahoma Sooners at Mercedes Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

LSU is the most perplexing team in the SEC ahead of the 2026 college football season.

Lane Kiffin is coming off a six-year run at Ole Miss, where he finished three regular seasons with 10 or more wins. All of that success made him an attractive candidate for LSU, which has not won 10 games in a regular season since its 2019 national championship run.

The general consensus calls for the Tigers to take a step forward from their seven-win mark in 2025. At least one college football analyst believes it's "national title or bust" for LSU, but most project it closer to the fringes of the College Football Playoff, which may not be satisfactory for a hungry fan base.

Roster composition is a key component of the mystery

41 players on LSU's 2026 roster came to Baton Rouge via the NCAA transfer portal in January. The Tigers retained key contributors at running back, linebacker and in the secondary, but roughly half of their projected starters are transfers.

Questioning a team's ceiling because of its high volume of portal additions may seem unfair given Indiana's national championship run with several key acquisitions.

However, the Hoosiers retained several pieces on defense, the offensive line and in the receiving corps from their College Football Playoff team in 2024 to help bolster their run last season.

Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy is one of those questioning the Tigers because of all the newness. McElroy addressed his skepticism of LSU in his personal preseason top 25 on "Always College Football."

"Returning production and assembled production are not the same thing. This list is this year's best case study in the difference," McElroy said.

"LSU went 7-6 last year, and they had a really good roster by the way. Now they have a new head coach, new offensive coordinator, new quarterback, a roster that was largely put together in the portal over the course of about four or five weeks. In Kiffin's own words after the first week of fall camp, so many guys are brand new."

Why is retention important in the age of the transfer portal?

Nov 1, 2025; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes offensive lineman Jordan Seaton (77) and Arizona Wildcats linebacker Chase Kennedy (7) during the second half at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Portal additions can be helpful in establishing a program's foundation under a new coach, but a constant carousel of talent is not healthy for a program's long-term stability.

Generally, the offensive skill positions are areas where coaches don't mind fishing for portal talent in the offseason if necessary. Productive quarterbacks have also come from the portal, but coaches would prefer to homegrow them if possible.

Offensive line where retention is more valuable than the transfer portal. Chemistry in the trenches is very undervalued; few fans acknowledge the strength of an offensive line when all is well, but it instantly becomes a point of discussion when the results on the field are poor.