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Signing Day Press Conference Blog: LSU head coach Lane Kiffin

On3 imageby: Shea Dixon02/04/26sheadixon

LSU head coach Lane Kiffin is set to meet with the local media in Baton Rouge for the first time since he was hired in late-November.

Over the past two months, Kiffin has hit on all facets of building the LSU program back to the standard set after winning three National Championships with three different head coaches since 2003.

He’s hired an entire offensive staff, most of which followed him from Ole Miss. Kiffin and LSU kept defensive coordinator Blake Baker despite heavy interest from Tulane to become the head coach at his alma mater. With Baker staying put, LSU’s defensive staff remained in place.

In total, Kiffin had to fill three on-field coaching roles – one on offense, defense, and special teams. All three of the hires made were coaches he nabbed from other SEC programs.

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Within 72 hours of being hired, Kiffin and the Tigers were able to hold together a high school signing class that ultimately brought 15 high school signees to LSU – and three finished as 5-star recruits on the Rivals Industry Rankings.

Kiffin also retained key players from the 2025 roster at LSU, which includes starters on offense and defense.

And while the Tigers got hit hard with 30-plus transfers, Kiffin – tabbed as the “Portal King” – signed more than 40 players from the portal.

That included three of the four highest-ranked players on the On3 Industry Transfer Portal rankings. LSU is ranked No. 2 on the On3 Industry Transfer Portal Team Rankings behind the defending National Champions Indiana Hoosiers.

With LSU signing two more players on Wednesday’s National Signing Day in February, a Louisiana defensive back and a junior college offensive linemen, Kiffin is expected to hit on a wide variety of topics during Wednesday afternoon’s media session at LSU’s Football Operations Building.

Stay tuned for LIVE updates from The Bengal Tiger’s Shea Dixon.

(Refresh this page for the latest updates from the 2 p.m. CT press conference in Baton Rouge)

By:Shea Dixon

Lane’s basketball goal makes it to Baton Rouge

02/04/2026 01:49:24 PM

As head coach at Ole Miss, Kiffin made headlines plenty over the 2025 season for having a basketball goal on the sidelines during games. When big plays were made, celebration dunks were expected – with Kiffin even getting involved from time to time. On Wednesday, ahead of Kiffin’s press conference, the basketball goal was spotted just feet from the podium where LSU’s new head coach will recap the first two months on the job in Baton Rouge.

By:Shea Dixon

Kiffin’s opening statement speaks to CFB changes

02/04/2026 02:07:04 PM

When Lane Kiffin took the mic for the first time since being named head coach, he led off by pointing out the variety of ways the staff built the new-look roster in hopes of setting the curve in the new era of the Transfer Portal era, the Early Signing Period, and more. “These are a lot of really good players and a lot of really talented players coming together … to do that with the challenges, it excites me,” Kiffin said. “When we are here for a full year, we can make the high school class even better than it was. That really excites me. We were able to do all this with a really good staff.”

By:Shea Dixon

Blending 40+ transfers, returning Tigers and HS signees

02/04/2026 02:11:57 PM

Kiffin turned heads when the Tigers reeled in more than 40 transfers through the portal, and then he backed up the “Portal King” nickname by signing three of the top four players on the On3 Industry Transfer Portal player rankings. Now, it’s about blending all the new talent together to the point where games are won each Saturday. “One of the good things about all this change is you do have really talented players, and the challenge is putting them all together and playing really well,” Kiffin said. “We’ve been able to do that in recent years.”

By:Shea Dixon

Is LSU’s class the best Transfer Portal haul in CFB history?

02/04/2026 02:14:33 PM

When posed the question, Kiffin didn’t brush it off. “The volume and numbers (40+ transfers) helps that when I make that statement. But the numbers have gone up because it created a system where players go in,” Kiffin said. “It probably would be the best ever on paper, part of that is the numbers and volume of it. We had a lot to replace. In those evaluations, you usually come in and make a lot of changes – especially if the program made a change to a staff because they didn’t like the direction the program was going.”

By:Shea Dixon

The injury status for the No. 1 Transfer Portal prospect

02/04/2026 02:20:23 PM

Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt signed with LSU in January. He’s ranked as the No. 1 overall prospect on the On3 Industry Transfer Portal player rankings, but Leavitt is also coming off an injury that cut short his 2025 season. The latest injury update: Kiffin said he will “throw” and do “7-on-7”, but probably not participate in “team stuff” this spring. This was expected by most given the goal is to have Leavitt healthy for fall camp and the season opener against Clemson in Death Valley.

By:Shea Dixon

Kiffin on new LSU General Manager Billy Glasscock

02/04/2026 02:24:12 PM

Kiffin brought his GM from Ole Miss to LSU, and Glasscock played a vital role in putting together the new-look roster over the past two months. “Why not have a general manager who runs the entire building who is always with you … and they are always on the same page,” Kiffin said. “I know I can get on a plane to recruit, and I know things are going to be handled in this building. It’s a tricky dynamic and the right makeup for the power dynamic of a head coach, but for us to be together and do what we’ve done here – on paper so far – is great.”

By:Shea Dixon

Making Louisiana a priority in recruiting

02/04/2026 02:27:46 PM

Over the past two weeks, Kiffin made multiple stops a day at high schools around Louisiana. The goal: meet with high school coaches and top prospects to get acquainted with football around the Bayou State. And, mission accomplished. “I’d love to sign a lot of Louisiana kids, not just from some list somebody puts out,” Kiffin said, adding that Louisiana brings not just 5-star prospects, but also under-recruited players who develop into future pros. Coupled with his view of how much Louisiana high school head coaches love the game and the state of Louisiana, Kiffin said the goal moving forward will remain the same as it has been for decades: put a fence around The Boot.

By:Shea Dixon

Kiffin’s Flight Tracker: “I don’t do well with no”

02/04/2026 02:37:30 PM

When ASU transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt, the No. 1 overall prospect in the Transfer Portal, left LSU’s campus without signing, Tigers fans wondered if Kiffin’s hopes to land the top-ranked transfer quarterback had ended. The same played out when Colorado offensive tackle transfer Jordan Seaton, also a 5-star portal prospect, left his multi-day stay in Baton Rouge without signing. Both times, Kiffin didn’t sit and wait for an answer. Instead, he boarded a flight and tracked down both transfers. And, in the end, both signed with LSU. When I asked Kiffin why he was wired different than most coaches in that situation, his answer was clear. “I just know how I do things. I don’t really do well with ‘no’,” he said. “It just makes me more competitive when someone tells me no. Everything I do is for the players, coaches, and fans. My job is to sign the best players. If that means I have to get on a plane and find a guy in the Knoxville airport, so be it. It’s how I work.” “And I think that fits in with Louisiana people, because that’s how they think. No job is too small. Find a way to get it done… It’s a good match.”

By:Shea Dixon

LSU signed tons of young talent, but can the portal easily take it away?

02/04/2026 03:23:16 PM

When asked about the reality that the portal gives and takes, Kiffin didn’t seem concerned over his staff’s approach to rebuilding the LSU roster through a large number of transfers with multiple years of eligibility remaining. His two cents: the relationships he and his staff will build with the players, coupled with the resources at LSU, will make it hard on players to leave once they’ve experienced the new culture being brought to Baton Rouge.

By:Shea Dixon

The waiting game that didn’t arrive for a pair of 5-star signees

02/04/2026 03:25:44 PM

Within 72 hours after landing in Baton Rouge, Kiffin and his staff – which was not completed yet – had to navigate the rough waters of a coaching change ahead of the Early Signing Period. Kiffin arrived on a Sunday, and high school recruits put pen to paper the following Wednesday. LSU was able to keep the class together and even pull off some flips from the Rebels, the biggest being Corey Barber – who was named a Rivals 5-star prospect and the No. 3 wide receiver in the 2026 class in the final rankings release this week. The other two 5-star signees – Louisiana defensive linemen Lamar Brown and Richard Anderson – nearly didn’t sign in December. The plan was to wait until February’s National Signing Day (today). But, within 24 hours, conversations with Kiffin, LSU GM Billy Glasscock and others led to both reversing course. Before Kiffin’s first week as head coach ended, the No. 1 and No. 2 defensive line prospects in America had signed with LSU. For Kiffin, the ability to lock both 5-stars from the Bayou State into signing early was a direct result of the power of LSU – most notably in Louisiana. “LSU signed them,” Kiffin said. “We didn’t even have a defensive line coach at the time. And they still signed with LSU. That’s not because of Lane Kiffin. That is because of the power of a place like LSU … and that is a big reason why we are here.”