The 2026 NCAA transfer portal has been open for a week now, and LSU has already secured 18 transfers in, just two shy of the program’s largest portal class ever.
LSU is in dire need for transfers this year, more than last, losing 30 players to the transfer portal and at least a dozen more due to expiring eligibility or pursuit of NFL dreams.
The story of mass exodus for the Tigers is due to major coaching changes, as head coach Lane Kiffin cleaned house in the offensive staff before his first season at LSU.
Here’s where the portal haul stands as of time of print.
Retooling on defense
LSU’s defense will remain largely unchanged, retaining key players like linebacker Whit Weeks, cornerback DJ Pickett and safety Tamarcus Cooley.
The retention of defensive coordinator Blake Baker and nearly all of his staff helped the players want to stay on that side of the ball. That hasn’t stopped Kiffin and Baker from making splashes on defense in the portal.
The departure for the NFL of defensive linemen Bernard Gooden, Jack Pyburn and Patrick Payton left holes to fill. So LSU went and made the additions of three top-10 defensive linemen in the portal, including Tennessee’s Jordan Ross, Auburn’s Malik Blocton and Clemson’s Stephiylan Green.
With a need to replace a mix of a safety starter and some depth players, LSU landed Boise State’s Ty Benefied, who was an all-conference selection last season.
Filling holes at wide receiver
Another position LSU hit hard in the portal so far is wide receiver. LSU saw four receivers head to the NFL and four receivers enter the transfer portal. That left LSU with just a handful of receivers on the roster, all with very little experience.
But Kiffin went out and landed seven receivers, including three with over 1,000 yards and double digit touchdowns in their college careers: Florida’s Tre Wilson, Kansas State’s Jayce Brown and Hawaii’s Jackson Harris.
A wild QB hunt
But there hasn’t been sunshine and rainbows for every position.
LSU’s quarterback room is in a very tough spot, with only one quarterback on the roster, walk-on freshman quarterback Emile Picarella III.
However, LSU landed a commitment Sunday night from Elon quarterback Landen Clark, choosing the Tigers over Kentucky, Michigan and JMU. Clark projects to be a backup.
LSU has also hosted the top two players in the portal on campus, quarterbacks Brendan Sorsby and Sam Leavitt, but let them leave without commitments.
Sorsby signed with Texas Tech the night he left Baton Rouge, and Leavitt departed Baton Rouge for a visit to Tennessee as LSU reportedly turned its sights onto Washington’s Demond WIlliams.
WIlliams has since announced that he is staying at Washington, and Leavitt has visited Tennessee and Miami since his visit to LSU.
While Leavitt isn’t out for LSU, it begs the question of if the way things ended on his visit affected how he views the Tigers in his recruitment.
The Tigers have reportedly hosted USC freshman and former five-star Husan Longstreet since Leavitt’s departure from town.
Patching up the offensive line
Another spot of worry is the offensive line, with seven players transferring out at that position, including five players who started multiple games this season.
LSU did have the third-worst graded offensive line, according to PFSN College, so there was a need for major overhaul at the position.
But as the transfer portal hits the halfway mark, LSU has brought in two offensive lineman, NC Central’s Ja’Quann Sprinkle and Tennessee’s William Satterwhite.
Kiffin is no stranger to the transfer portal, with over half of his last team at Ole Miss joining from the portal. He has been especially good at finding gems, like former Division II quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who finished top-10 in Heisman voting this season.
