LSU Tigers: 5 Players to Watch in 2026
By Rory Daniels
When College Football kickoff comes into view, it’s fair to say a lot of eyes will be trained upon Baton Rouge, Louisiana. One of the biggest stories of 2025 was Lane Kiffin leaving Ole Miss after guiding the Rebels to the College Football Playoff. Who knows if things would’ve played out differently had he stayed the course?
Now, he has to show the gamble was worth it, and the Tigers will be expecting to mount a title challenge almost immediately. That will be easier said than done for Kiffin, as he welcomes over 40 transfers onto campus. While an overhaul was needed, can he knit this group together quickly enough to compete in the SEC?
As we embark on a series of articles shining a light on the key figures for the top programs in College Football, here are the five LSU stars who will dictate how their season goes.
The quarterback remains the most crucial part of most teams’ hopes. That’s exactly why LSU went and blew a rumoured $6 million on Leavitt from Arizona State. There was a brief dalliance with the electric playmaker Demond Williams from Washington, but it will be the former Sun Devil who lines up behind center come September.
Leavitt had an elite year in 2024, but injury shortened last season, and both he and Kiffin will hope he makes a full recovery from his Lisfranc issue. At his best, Leavitt is a playmaker with a potent deep ball. That should fit Kiffin’s system to a tee. If Leavitt can cut down on the risky plays and learn to take easy completions when the pocket breaks down, he could elevate his game to the next level. At that price point, expectations are high.
Part of Leavitt’s issues in 2025 was the inconsistency at the left tackle spot at Arizona State. Kiffin has ensured that won’t be a problem by picking up an elite player at the position, Jordan Seaton. The true junior was one of Deion Sanders’ most highly touted recruits at Colorado, and despite their lukewarm results, Seaton has been stellar in his first two years of college football.
LSU fans will also be buoyed by the new leaner, muscular frame Seaton was sporting at spring practice, having clearly taken well to the Tigers’ weight room regimen. Seaton allowed only seven pressures all year in 2025, recording an elite pass blocking grade of 84.1 from PFF. There is work to do in the run game where Seaton isn’t considered a ‘nasty’ finisher, but he should get plenty of practice given the importance Kiffin places on establishing the run.
If he gets that side of his game down, a top-10 draft position beckons.
If there’s one area of the roster that’s seen the most turnover for LSU, it is the wide receiver group. Their current two-deep contains all transfers at the position, making it difficult to pinpoint who Sam Leavitt’s go-to guy will be. The spring practice chatter has highlighted Jayce Brown as the likely X-receiver, but the most explosive member of the group could be Ole Miss transfer Winnie Watkins Jr.
He’ll spend the majority of his snaps in the slot and offer a quickly open option across the middle of the field. Watkins had only 373 receiving yards in his freshman season, but he shows impressive route-running and smooth speed to get open. Kiffin is likely to try to speed up Leavitt’s processing and take quick hits to relieve pressure before the deep plays emerge. Watkins is the ideal player to help with that, due to his ability within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.
Four players followed head coach Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss to Baton Rouge, and arguably the most high-profile is edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen. He will be looking to follow in the footsteps of his older brother Princely, who currently plays for the Carolina Panthers. He’s certainly demonstrated the ability, logging 11 sacks in 2025.
That would be a welcome boost to a defensive line that managed only 27 total, ranking 62nd in the nation last year. On the other side will be former 5-star recruit Jordan Ross, who hopes a change of scenery can help him unlock his obvious talent. Umanmielen’s burst and length are elite, and he can be the defining addition that propels this LSU defense back to its former glory.
If the pressure of being the ‘green dot’ on one of the SEC’s premier defenses wasn’t enough, how about dating the new head coach’s daughter? That’s what Whit Weeks has on his plate in 2026. If there is anybody fit to deal with it, it’s the hard-hitting middle linebacker. In a roster with so many new faces, Weeks will be at the forefront of instilling what it means to be an LSU Tiger into this group. Weeks suffered a broken ankle in 2025 but should be in full health by the season kickoff.
Weeks will hope to regain his 2024 form, where he led the team with an impressive 125 tackles. Add to that being selected to the AP’s All-SEC First Team, and it’s clear what Weeks brings to the table. His leadership and intensity will be hugely beneficial to the team. Defensive coordinator Blake Baker has improved this unit incrementally and earned a big-time extension this offseason. Weeks will act as his embodiment on the field. You can’t understate the importance of that.
If LSU is going to contend in the SEC immediately under Lane Kiffin, it will be because this group delivers. With star power on both sides of the ball, the ceiling is high—but so is the pressure.
Rory-Joe Daniels
COLLEGE FOOTBALL ANALYST
AS A LONG-SUFFERING CINCINNATI BENGALS FAN, RORY HAS FOLLOWED THE NFL FOR OVER 20 YEARS. HIS PASSION FOR THE DRAFT LED HIM TO GET ENTANGLED WITH COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND HE HAS BEEN WRITING ABOUT PROSPECTS AND THE CFB LANDSCAPE EVER SINCE.