Kiffin Cites 5-Star Surge at LSU as Ole Miss Rises Under Golding

Lane Kiffin used SEC Media Days in Tampa to make the case that his move from Ole Miss to LSU has already been validated on the recruiting trail. Six months into his tenure with the Tigers, Kiffin has signed three of the transfer portal's top-10 players — quarterback Sam Leavitt, offensive tackle Jordan Seaton and edge Princewill Umanmielen — and secured a commitment from 2027 five-star tight end Ahmad Hudson, giving LSU a top-10-ranked recruiting class for that cycle.

Somebody said it the other day. They were like, 'he's been here six months and he's had more five-star signees and commits than he did in the previous six years combined.' That's kind of proof to me of the decision and of the combination of the two, us and LSU.

— Lane Kiffin, LSU head coach

During his six years at Ole Miss, Kiffin secured just one five-star high school signee, linebacker Suntarine Perkins. The Rebels nonetheless reached multiple New Year Six bowls and the College Football Playoff largely through the transfer portal. Kiffin acknowledged the platform LSU provides as a key factor in the departure, adding, 'That's a big reason why we're here. We're going to make this thing different than anywhere else to go when you combine LSU and us. You're seeing it.'

Ole Miss Carries High Expectations Into Golding's First Full Season

Back in Oxford, first-year head coach Pete Golding has inherited a program that advanced to the College Football Playoff Semifinals in 2025 before falling to the Miami Hurricanes in the fourth quarter. Rather than rebuilding, Golding took over a veteran-laden roster. SEC media picked the Rebels third in the conference behind Georgia and Texas, with six first-place votes. Ole Miss placed three players on the All-SEC first team: quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, receiver Kewan Lacy and Will Echoles. Suntarine Perkins and Lucas Carneiro earned second-team honors, while Patrick Kutas and Kam Franklin were named to the third team.

Golding acknowledged the weight that comes with following a successful season. 'When you're going into an offseason, you look at those lessons that you learned throughout the season when it didn't go exactly how you saw it going,' he said. 'You try to figure out how can we do it better?' The schedule will provide immediate answers: conference play opens against LSU, with later matchups against Texas, Oklahoma and Georgia still to come.

Meanwhile, LSU was placed fifth in the SEC preseason poll, behind Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Leavitt, who missed most of spring practice recovering from foot surgery, was also left off all three preseason All-SEC teams, though he ranks tenth nationally in FanDuel's Heisman odds. Kiffin said his confidence in Leavitt is no longer about health but about building chemistry, noting that other SEC quarterbacks have overcome preseason omissions to post strong seasons.