Newly acquired LSU coach Lane Kiffin is known mostly for two things – offensive acumen and transfer portal success. Considering the holes in the roster for the Tigers, we took on the task of evaluating and ranking LSU’s portal needs on offense by position. As of now, the cupboard isn’t bare for Kiffin’s squad. But multiple position groups must be addressed to see the improvement LSU expects in 2026.
LSU’s Portal Needs by Position
4) Wide Receiver
The Tigers are losing a minimum of four receivers in Zavion Thomas, Aaron Anderson, Barion Brown, and Chris Hilton. This quartet brought experience, versatility, and deep speed to the room. LSU’s broken offense led to pedestrian production and mixed reviews from this group. However, Last Word is confident that the NFL draft will dispel any misconceptions regarding its talent level.
The most proven returning wideout is sophomore Kyle Parker, who operates primarily out of the slot. Parker was a reliable replacement for Anderson when injuries kept him off the field. He showed the ability to get deep as a freshman and flashed the ability to run after the catch. Junior Nic Anderson gives LSU a big target on the outside at 6’4”. Anderson’s health hasn’t allowed him to be the force he was as a freshman for Oklahoma.
New Orleans native Destyn Hill was the talk of fall camp, but his impact was limited in 2025. Freshmen Taron Francis and Philip Wright will have four years of eligibility after a redshirt year. Francis is a physical, impressive athlete who will challenge for a starting role in 2026. Wright has the deep speed to stretch a defense. This position group isn’t devoid of talent, but it’s mostly unproven talent.
Top target: Michigan State’s Nick Marsh will be one of the most coveted wide receivers on the transfer market. Marsh has prototypical size at 6’-3”, 200 pounds, with an impressive catch radius. He was a go-to guy for the Spartans and one of the best wide receivers in the Big 10 as a sophomore. While not a burner, he does flash the ability to make plays downfield.
3) Running Back
The fourth most important need for LSU in the portal is running back. Not-so-surprising declarations from Ju’Juan Johnson and Kaleb Jackson have left LSU with only two scholarship running backs at the moment. Even after the departure of running backs coach and recruiter extraordinaire Frank Wilson, LSU has closers who can recruit the position. With no running backs in the current signing class, it’s even more important for the Tigers to find success in the portal.
The good news is the returning backs are very talented. Caden Durham grabbed the starting job as a freshman in 2024 and looked to be the future at the position. Former five-star Harlem Berry was too dynamic to keep off the field this season and ended the season as the starter. Both are talented enough to carry the load. It will be intriguing to see how they can perform in a functional offense.
Top target: Kewan Lacy of Ole Miss is in the middle of a playoff run and has not announced intentions to enter the transfer portal. Of course, that doesn’t mean we can’t speculate. We expect current Ole Miss running backs coach Kevin Smith to join Kiffin in Baton Rouge. Smith has been with Kiffin since his Florida Atlantic days, and there’s an obvious comfort level for both parties with each other. We could easily see Lacy entering the portal and maintaining continuity with his position coach and former head coach.
2) Offensive Line
We could have easily listed the offensive line as the most critical need, but a quarterback’s skill set can influence the importance of the line. Either way, LSU’s offensive line play in 2025 was embarrassing and unacceptable. The most routine stunts caused mass confusion. The edges were burnt toast. And as if missed assignments and physical domination weren’t enough, the pre-snap penalties were endless.
To make things worse, one of the few young building blocks on the line, freshman Carius Curne, recently announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal. Besides left tackle Tyree Adams, no returning offensive lineman appeared to be an adequate SEC starter in 2025. That doesn’t mean guys like Weston Davis and Ory Williams won’t grow into quality starters, but the jury is still out.
Top target: Long-time starter Josh Atkins has announced that he will be entering the transfer portal from Arizona State. Atkins has started every game in the last two years, anchoring the left side of the line for the Sun Devils. The former three-star recruit has developed into a reliable player and has the experience that LSU lacks sorely in the group.
1)Quarterback
There’s a mentality among some that the offensive line could be more important than the quarterback. We’re not saying that opinion is wrong. But a line can protect a bad quarterback all day long, and he’ll still be a bad quarterback. The most important portal need for LSU to address is quarterback, and we expect the Tigers to sign more than one.
We’ll refrain from judging sophomore Michael Van Buren too harshly after getting thrown into action. But the starting quarterback at LSU must play at a higher level than what we’ve seen in 2025. Protection issues or not, Van Buren and Garrett Nussmeier missed routine throws and reads repeatedly in 2025. It’s important to note that the Tigers didn’t sign a quarterback from the high school level in the early signing period. Consequently, LSU won’t even have a backup quarterback on scholarship if Van Buren enters the portal.
Top target: Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt leads an extremely deep and talented group of quarterbacks in the transfer portal. The position group gets deeper by the day and loaded with proven production and former five-stars. Leavitt has shown the ability to escape the pocket, make all the throws, and elevate his team. His skill set would mesh well with Kiffin’s offensive approach, and he could be the next Arizona State quarterback to strike fear into opponents at LSU.
Main Image: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
