LSU’s offensive unit is built to score

With Lane Kiffin comes offense.

If there’s one thing that feels like a guarantee with the hire of Kiffin, it’s LSU lighting up the scoreboard this fall. Kiffin’s offenses have ranked in the top 50 in the nation every year he’s been a college head coach or offensive coordinator—minus 2013 when USC finished at No. 51—including seven top-20 finishes in the past 12 years.

The first-year Tiger coach has aptly earned a moniker as the “quarterback whisperer” in his coaching career, and he’ll have a trio of new talents to train this season.

Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt headlines the group, coming to LSU as the top-ranked player in this year’s transfer portal. He was the Sun Devils’ starting quarterback for two seasons, racking up 4,652 yards and 36 touchdowns—as well as 816 yards and 10 more scores on the ground—while leading Arizona State to the Big 12 championship and a first-round appearance in the College Football Playoffs.

Leavitt’s season was cut short last October due to a Lisfranc injury that ultimately required surgery, and he’s been rehabbing his foot for the majority of the offseason. While Leavitt, the projected starter, has been limited this spring, fellow transfers Husan Longstreet and Landen Clark have been getting their share of first-team reps.

Longstreet is a former 5-star prospect from Corona, California, who transferred to the Tigers as a top-100 portal player after one year at USC. He saw limited action as a true freshman, completing 13 of his 15 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown as well as 76 rushing yards with 2 more scores.

Clark, on the other hand, comes to Baton Rouge with a full season of starting experience at the FCS level, throwing for 2,231 yards and 18 touchdowns at Elon to earn Co-Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in the Colonial Athletic Conference.

Regardless of which signal-caller wins the starting job, there will be a slew of new weapons to work with around him, along with a pair of familiar faces for Tiger fans.

Harlem Berry and Caden Durham, RB

While the vast majority of the LSU offense will take some getting to know, the Tiger backfield is one of the few areas that maintained some level of consistency. Durham and Berry were LSU’s top two rushers last season, finishing the season with almost identical stat lines: Durham had 111 carries for 505 yards and 3 touchdowns, while Berry ran 104 times for 491 yards and 2 scores. The Tigers prioritized bringing both players back this fall after some transfer portal temptations, and they’ll be pivotal pieces of a Kiffin offense that produced the SEC’s leading rusher a year ago.

Jayce Brown, WR

It’s hard to know which one of the dozen new receivers will emerge from the pack, but Brown is certainly a strong contender. He spent the past three seasons at Kansas State, racking up 115 catches for 1,972 yards and 13 touchdowns to finish No. 8 in program history. He was rated as a 4-star transfer and the No. 20 receiver in the portal after earning third-team All-Big 12 honors last year.

Jackson Harris, WR

Harris is a big-play threat that joins LSU after a strong 2025 season at Hawai’i. He led the Mountain West in both receiving touchdowns (12) and yards per catch (19.65), while finishing No. 2 with 963 receiving yards and 87.5 yards per game to earn first-team All-Mountain West honors.

Winston Watkins Jr., WR

Watkins followed Kiffin in his move from Ole Miss to LSU and is poised to play a big part in his offense again this fall. “Winnie” is a versatile receiver who can impact the game in a number of ways, catching 26 balls for 373 yards and 1 touchdown and rushing for 21 yards on 5 carries as a true freshman.

Eugene Wilson III, WR

Wilson has been a highly rated prospect since his high school days and was ranked as the No. 16 receiver in this year’s transfer portal. He’s spent three seasons as an impact wideout at Florida, catching 107 career passes for 1,043 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Jordan Seaton, LT

Outside of Leavitt, Seaton was the biggest get of Kiffin’s massive transfer portal haul. The 6-foot-5, 307-pound tackle was the No. 3 player in the entire portal and has been projected by many as a top-10 NFL prospect. He started 22 games in his career at Colorado—all at left tackle—and will plug right in at the same position for the Tigers.

Braelin Moore, C

While LSU’s offensive line struggled at times last year, Moore was one of the mainstays at center. He’s been a starter for the Tigers since his redshirt freshman season in 2023 and will anchor the unit again this fall with his wealth of experience.

This article was originally published in 225 Magazine’s 2026 Tiger Pride edition.