SEC FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 7 OF 16
2026 Season Snapshot • Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Finished 8-5 under Kelly/interim Wilson (5-3 under Kelly)
SEC
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HEAD COACH
Lane Kiffin — 1st season at LSU
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
116–53 (college, 11 seasons)
Went 55-19 in six years at Ole Miss (2020-25), including the program's first- ever 11-win regular season in 2025, before leaving mid-CFP-run to take the LSU job. Also head coach at Tennessee (2009), USC (2010-13) and Florida Atlantic (2017-19, two C-USA titles). Signed a 7-year, $91M deal, one of the richest in the sport.
LSU ATS RECORD
New hire — no LSU ATS history yet
Replaces Brian Kelly (34-14 at LSU), fired Oct. 26 at 5-3 following a home loss to Texas A&M. Interim Frank Wilson closed the year, including a Texas Bowl win over Baylor. LSU spent roughly $40M rebuilding the roster around Kiffin this offseason.
HEAD COACH SALARY (2026)
$13.0M
TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.)
Not disclosed
PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE
Bayou Traditions
Coach salary per Wikipedia; CBS Sports reported a 7-yr deal averaging up to $14M/yr and worth as much as $98M with NIL/revenue-sharing commitments layered in. LSU has not disclosed a team NIL figure.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Charlie Weis Jr. — 1st season • Run-first spread
Followed Kiffin from Ole Miss, where the Rebels led the SEC in rushing attempts (2023) and finished 4th nationally in rushing TDs (2025). A single- back-friendly system that has produced multiple 1,000-yard rushers under Kiffin at various stops (Derrick Henry, Quinshon Judkins, Kewan Lacy).
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Blake Baker — 3rd season (retained) • Multiple
Retained from the Kelly staff; LSU led the SEC in pass efficiency defense in 2025. Kiffin's brother Chris Kiffin joins as co-DC/linebackers coach after following from Ole Miss, adding fresh voice and continuity at once.
2025 RECORD
Finished 8-5 under Kelly/interim Wilson (5-3 under Kelly)
Kelly fired Oct. 26 following a home loss to No. 3 Texas A&M; Frank Wilson went the rest of the way and closed with a Texas Bowl win over Baylor. QB Garrett Nussmeier battled injury (a spinal cyst) throughout, finishing with 1,927 yards, 12 TD, 5 INT.
HOME FIELD
Tiger Stadium ("Death Valley")
Natural grass, Baton Rouge. One of the sport's most notorious true road environments, especially for night games — Kelly himself went 20-2 in Death Valley night games. A real home-field weapon for the new staff to inherit immediately.
| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Sam Leavitt | Jr | ★★★★★ | Arizona State transfer who was a CFP-caliber dual threat in 2024 before a foot injury derailed 2025. Kiffin insists he's healthy; his status is the single biggest swing factor for LSU's season. |
| RB1 | Caden Durham | — | ★★★★★ | Retained through the coaching change; part of a deep, four-transfer-deep RB room built specifically as a hedge if Leavitt's foot is an issue. |
| WR1 | Jayce Brown | — | ★★★★★ | Three-star signee (Choctawhatchee HS, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.). Kansas State transfer (Third-Team All-Big 12 in 2025); brought in to help replace LSU's entire top-4 receiving corps, which all departed via the NFL Draft or graduation. |
| — | Barion Brown (returning WR | — | — | Receiving corps was almost entirely rebuilt this offseason — confirm exact WR2 closer to Week 1 as fall camp settles the rotation. |
| WR2 | — | — | ★★★★★ | |
| — | room, name TBD) | — | — |
Arizona State transfer who was a CFP-caliber dual threat in 2024 before a foot injury derailed 2025. Kiffin insists he's healthy; his status is the single biggest swing factor for LSU's season.
Retained through the coaching change; part of a deep, four-transfer-deep RB room built specifically as a hedge if Leavitt's foot is an issue.
Three-star signee (Choctawhatchee HS, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.). Kansas State transfer (Third-Team All-Big 12 in 2025); brought in to help replace LSU's entire top-4 receiving corps, which all departed via the NFL Draft or graduation.
Receiving corps was almost entirely rebuilt this offseason — confirm exact WR2 closer to Week 1 as fall camp settles the rotation.
| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan Seaton | LT | Soph | ★★★★★ | 5-STAR Colorado transfer and former five-star (2024, No. 19 overall); preseason First-Team All-SEC pick and a projected first-round NFL Draft pick after two years starting at Colorado. |
| Braelin Moore | C | — | ★★★★★ | Three-star signee (Freedom HS, Bethlehem, Pa.; per 247/Rivals/ESPN, 4-star per On3). Virginia Tech transfer and 2025 SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week; passed on the NFL Draft and portal to return, one of just two returning-caliber starters on a nearly all-new line. |
Colorado transfer and former five-star (2024, No. 19 overall); preseason First-Team All-SEC pick and a projected first-round NFL Draft pick after two years starting at Colorado.
Three-star signee (Freedom HS, Bethlehem, Pa.; per 247/Rivals/ESPN, 4-star per On3). Virginia Tech transfer and 2025 SEC Offensive Lineman of the Week; passed on the NFL Draft and portal to return, one of just two returning-caliber starters on a nearly all-new line.
| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Dominick McKinley | DT | Former five-star returns as the headline returning piece up front. |
| Princewill Umanmielen | Edge | Ole Miss transfer, a Top-5 overall transfer portal addition; projected starter off the edge. |
| Stephiylan Green | DT | Clemson transfer joining McKinley on the interior. |
Former five-star returns as the headline returning piece up front.
Ole Miss transfer, a Top-5 overall transfer portal addition; projected starter off the edge.
Clemson transfer joining McKinley on the interior.
| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| DJ Pickett | CB | ★★★★★ | Five-star sophomore (No. 9 overall, 2025 class) coming off a standout freshman year (3 INT, elite coverage numbers) — LSU led the SEC in pass efficiency defense with him on the field in 2025. |
| PJ Woodland | CB | ★★★★★ | Returning starter opposite Pickett (4-star per Rivals); Whit Weeks himself has praised his development. |
| Ty Benefield | S | ★★★★★ | Boise State transfer (former 3-star; 235 career tackles, 5 INT); penciled in as a Week 1 starter at safety. |
Five-star sophomore (No. 9 overall, 2025 class) coming off a standout freshman year (3 INT, elite coverage numbers) — LSU led the SEC in pass efficiency defense with him on the field in 2025.
Returning starter opposite Pickett (4-star per Rivals); Whit Weeks himself has praised his development.
Boise State transfer (former 3-star; 235 career tackles, 5 INT); penciled in as a Week 1 starter at safety.
2025 ATS
4-9
30.8% cover rate — 77th of 82
2025 Straight up
7-6
Point differential +39
Scoring environment
42.7
Combined points per game — 78th highest of 82
Home / road ATS
2-5 · 2-3
Totals 4-9 O/U (2-5 home, 1-4 road)
Points scored / allowed
22.8 per game scored (65th) · 19.8 allowed (19th)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory +3 (43rd) · Strength of schedule +3.5
SRS power rating
+4.8
34th of 82 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
-1.6
52nd of 82
Defensive SRS
+8.8
12th of 82
Points (margin of victory)
+3 · 43rd of 82
Against the spread
4-9 (30.8%) · 77th of 82
Totals (combined PPG)
42.7 · 78th of 82
Computed from CollegeFootballData 2025 results and closing consensus lines.
Saved Just J research for LSU.
LSU's transfer class is regarded as one of the best ever assembled, but Kiffin has never coached a game with this roster — early lines may lag how good this team actually is, or overrate unproven chemistry. Cuts both ways.
Their Ole Miss offenses finished top-5 nationally in rushing scores and produced Heisman-caliber backs (Judkins, Lacy) — expect LSU to lean on a deep, retooled RB room, especially if QB Sam Leavitt's surgically repaired foot is a lingering question.
Kiffin's first true test is at Ole Miss, the program he left mid-playoff-run — expect this to be one of the most bet-on, highest-attention games of the SEC's early slate.
If Jordan Seaton's move to LSU pans out, this line upgrades significantly over the group that protected Nussmeier in 2025 — worth tracking early pass-protection numbers as a leading indicator for how fast this offense gels.
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