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The word rebuild won't be uttered in and around the LSU football operations facility building on campus this season.
Despite the 2026 college football season, which starts in five short weeks, being Lane Kiffin's first as LSU's head coach in Baton Rouge, there is no belief that time is needed to iron things out and make the program go. That time, according to Kiffin, is now.
"We put together a roster that can win now."
At 2026 SEC Media Days at the JW Marriott in downtown Tampa, Florida July 23, Kiffin shook off talk of if expectation around his LSU program is too high heading into this first season with the Tigers. LSU is projected to finished third in the Southeastern Conference behind Georgia and Texas, according to USA TODAY.
LSU PICKED TO FINISH 3RD IN SEC Where LSU football was picked to finish 2026 in USA TODAY All-SEC poll
"I embrace the expectations at LSU. They match how I think," Kiffin said.
When he decided to leave Ole Miss, who was about to start its run in the College Football Playoff following the end of last regular season, Kiffin believed LSU was better equipped to sustain longtime success due to the year-in, year-out instate high school talent the team could recruit. And coupling that aspect with his proven success of attracting key players from the transfer portal every offseason, Kiffin expects the mixture and depth to play a vital role for the Tigers.
"We came to LSU to sign the best players in the country out of high school and mix that with the best portal players in the country and put them together. That's led us into this roster that we have now which is a really good mixture of that," Kiffin said. "You have some elite high school players that we just signed, some of the best D-linemen in America to be true freshmen. And then you have some elite first-round portal players coming in.
"That roster's exciting to work with, I can't wait to get to the field, get back to fall camp to do."
Not only is Kiffin under the impression that LSU can win in his first season, his players expect to do so as well. That's a key component to possibly accomplishing that and getting LSU back in the CFP for the first time since 2019.
Senior defensive end Princewill Umanmielen and linebacker TJ Dottery, who both followed Kiffin from Ole Miss to LSU over the offseason, have said that this season in Baton Rouge is "not a rebuild." Both of those guys will be looked to as leaders for this season's LSU team and both have been a part of deep CFP run at Ole Miss last year.
"This ain't no first-year rebuild thing," Umanmielen said during spring practice a couple of months ago. "We're trying to go all the way. That's our mindset right now."
Having players with that approach and mentality could go a long way for the Tigers in 2026. For Kiffin, it's another layer of why he's looking forward to the future with LSU.
"It also excited me about the future of LSU, too. Not just this year. We put together a roster that can win now," Kiffin said. "How you build your program, what makes it really go to another level is how you build your depth. All the portal players aren't top players, you build your depth through that. That makes me excited that we built a roster that can win now.
"The future is really bright and amazing at LSU of what's to come."
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Lane Kiffin believes LSU football 'can win now.' Here's why LSU can
Continue reading...
Despite the 2026 college football season, which starts in five short weeks, being Lane Kiffin's first as LSU's head coach in Baton Rouge, there is no belief that time is needed to iron things out and make the program go. That time, according to Kiffin, is now.
"We put together a roster that can win now."
At 2026 SEC Media Days at the JW Marriott in downtown Tampa, Florida July 23, Kiffin shook off talk of if expectation around his LSU program is too high heading into this first season with the Tigers. LSU is projected to finished third in the Southeastern Conference behind Georgia and Texas, according to USA TODAY.
LSU PICKED TO FINISH 3RD IN SEC Where LSU football was picked to finish 2026 in USA TODAY All-SEC poll
"I embrace the expectations at LSU. They match how I think," Kiffin said.
When he decided to leave Ole Miss, who was about to start its run in the College Football Playoff following the end of last regular season, Kiffin believed LSU was better equipped to sustain longtime success due to the year-in, year-out instate high school talent the team could recruit. And coupling that aspect with his proven success of attracting key players from the transfer portal every offseason, Kiffin expects the mixture and depth to play a vital role for the Tigers.
"We came to LSU to sign the best players in the country out of high school and mix that with the best portal players in the country and put them together. That's led us into this roster that we have now which is a really good mixture of that," Kiffin said. "You have some elite high school players that we just signed, some of the best D-linemen in America to be true freshmen. And then you have some elite first-round portal players coming in.
"That roster's exciting to work with, I can't wait to get to the field, get back to fall camp to do."
Not only is Kiffin under the impression that LSU can win in his first season, his players expect to do so as well. That's a key component to possibly accomplishing that and getting LSU back in the CFP for the first time since 2019.
Senior defensive end Princewill Umanmielen and linebacker TJ Dottery, who both followed Kiffin from Ole Miss to LSU over the offseason, have said that this season in Baton Rouge is "not a rebuild." Both of those guys will be looked to as leaders for this season's LSU team and both have been a part of deep CFP run at Ole Miss last year.
"This ain't no first-year rebuild thing," Umanmielen said during spring practice a couple of months ago. "We're trying to go all the way. That's our mindset right now."
Having players with that approach and mentality could go a long way for the Tigers in 2026. For Kiffin, it's another layer of why he's looking forward to the future with LSU.
"It also excited me about the future of LSU, too. Not just this year. We put together a roster that can win now," Kiffin said. "How you build your program, what makes it really go to another level is how you build your depth. All the portal players aren't top players, you build your depth through that. That makes me excited that we built a roster that can win now.
"The future is really bright and amazing at LSU of what's to come."
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: Lane Kiffin believes LSU football 'can win now.' Here's why LSU can
Continue reading...
