“Because of the rulings, they are going to play for you or someone else. We made the decision to recruit them. It’s wrong to be critical of these kids. They were granted a fifth year and a judge said they were wronged,” Kiffin said via Ross Dellenger from Yahoo Sports.

“These players should have been told that they were going to be eligible for a fifth year. Had they known that, they would have stayed (and not signed pro contracts). You may end up having hundreds of athletes told they have a fifth year. It’s a unique circumstance.”

Could Wright be setting a precedent in the sport? His return to college football continues to spark debate and mixed opinions. For now, Kiffin and the tight end will reunite on the same roster, just as they did at Ole Miss.

Why is Wright’s return to the NCAA being debated?

The debate surrounding Dae’Quan Wright’s move to LSU centers on a unprecedented legal loophole that is reshaping college sports. After going undrafted in 2026 and signing pro deals with the Philadelphia Eagles and Cleveland Browns, Wright became part of a landmark lawsuit where a state judge granted certain players an unexpected fifth year of eligibility, ruling that the NCAA failed to properly inform them of their options before they turned pro.

Now, because he was waived, he is set to become the first player ever to transition straight from an NFL roster back to college football. Critics argue this creates major uncertainty for transfer rules and roster management, while supporters—including Lane Kiffin—insist these athletes shouldn’t be penalized for navigating a constantly changing system.

The Tigers have an intriguing offensive arsenal

On paper, this LSU offense is looking straight-up unfair. Sam Leavitt will be running the show with his dual-threat mobility, handing off to an absolute lightning bolt in five-star back Harlem Berry.

Then you look at the receiving corps, Winston Watkins Jr. bringing dynamic playmaker speed, Jayce Brown stretching the field vertical, and Jackson Harris acting as that reliable, chain-moving possession target. Cap it all off with Dae’Quan Wright giving them a massive matchup nightmare at tight end, and Lane Kiffin basically has a pick-your-poison offense that can hit defenses from every single angle.

Reported by Adam Schefter of ESPN, “Wright is believed to be the first player who could play for an NFL team, and then go back to play in college.” This is as incredible as it sounds, given the unprecedented nature of this move.

Wright initially signed with the Philadelphia Eagles after going undrafted, and then was claimed on waivers by the Browns. Wright officially entered the transfer portal on Wednesday. He and other athletes won a lawsuit in Louisiana to get a temporary restraining order. This order lets them play college sports for one more year.

Wright will reunite with Lane Kiffin

In 2024 and 2025, Wright played for coach Kiffin at Ole Miss. Last season, he caught 39 passes for 635 yards and scored five touchdowns for the team. Now, that Kiffin is at LSU, he will return to play with the coach he shone with.

Wright stands at 6’4″, and weighs 246 lbs. That is a prototypical tight end frame and one that could shine back in LSU under Kiffin. Whether this means Wright will never go back to the NFL or not remains to be seen, but a good season in College Football could elevate his stock massively for the future.

LSU’s offensive lineup for 2026

Under Kiffin, the LSU Tigers should improve massively on offense and have one of the best attacks in the nation. The talent is there, the coaching is there, and now, they add an NFL player to their roster.

• QB – Sam Leavitt
• RB – Harlem Berry
• WR1 – Winston Watkins Jr.
• WR2 – Jayce Brown
• WR3 – Jackson Harris
• TE – Dae’Quan Wright

After Kiffin’s dramatic departure from the University of Mississippi to take over as the head coach at Louisiana State University, the Tigers have been under the national spotlight. That means they have a lot to prove, and so does Arizona State transfer Leavitt. Although he could have made excuses just in case things don’t pan out, LSU‘s starting quarterback delivered a bold update on his health.

“I’m 100% right now, and I’ve been 100% for the past few months,” Leavitt admitted during a press conference on Monday. “I really don’t think about [the injury when I’m] out on the field. My health is one thing that I take very seriously. So, it was really never a question for me. So, yeah, I’m ready to go.”

Leavitt’s injury

Leavitt suffered a Lisfranc injury to his right foot in October 2025, which led to season-ending surgery. That was all she wrote for his time with the Sun Devils, as he would go on to enter the transfer portal and commit to Kiffin and the Tigers.

During the spring, Leavitt underwent a second procedure to remove the pins from his foot. As Leavitt noted during his media availability, he has no more “hardware” in his right foot and faces no setbacks or hurdles in his return to action.

With him fully healthy, LSU expects Leavitt to start in NCAA‘s Week 1, when the Fighting Tigers take on the Tigers from Clemson at Death Valley—the one in Baton Rouge—in a true battle of namesakes and a competition for bragging rights.

Leavitt’s stats in college

At six-foot-two and as a four-star prospect out of West Linn High School in Oregon, Leavitt has become quite the journeyman in college football. The redshirt junior redshirted his true freshman year at Michigan State, appearing in four games, before transferring to Arizona State, where he led the Sun Devils to a Big 12 Championship.

So far in his NCAA career, Leavitt has completed 376 of 612 passes (61.4 completion percentage) for 4,652 yards and 36 touchdowns. Leavitt has also rushed for 816 yards and 10 touchdowns.

His decision-making and tendency to play hero ball still raise eyebrows, but if there’s a school that can make the most out of such a talent, it’s LSU—and Kiffin is the head coach who can help make that possible.

Whether it’s some bitterness speaking or his most sincere thought, Kelly expects—like everybody around the college football landscape—a dogfight when the Tigers take on the Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. However, LSU’s former head coach—hired in 2021 and fired in 2025—predicts the home team to come away with the emotional victory.

“I think this really comes down to, you know, what quarterback plays better,” Kelly stated, via On3. “If Trinidad Chambliss plays to the level that we all think he can, this can be a game that Ole Miss beats LSU.”

The Tigers’ former head coach predicted this would be the program’s first loss of the 2026 NCAA campaign—and it may serve as a bucket of ice-cold water for Kiffin and LSU.

Kelly’s record prediction

Although Kelly believes Chambliss gives the University of Mississippi the edge over Sam Leavitt and LSU, his season prediction highlights how Kiffin’s team might recover from an early rude awakening.

Kelly predicted the Tigers to win their next six games after falling to the Rebels, including victories at Auburn and against Alabama. According to the former head coach’s expectations, LSU’s second loss of the campaign will come in Death Valley at the hands of the Texas Longhorns.

“This is difficult. I think that they probably get beat at the end here. I expect that Texas will win this game,” Kelly confessed.

All in all, however, Kelly predicts LSU will finish the 2026 NCAA season with a 10-2 record. With Kiffin’s Tigers’ losses coming against likely ranked teams, they should still make the College Football Playoff and may even make it to the SEC Championship Game.

The Game 2.0

Still, fans in Baton Rouge may not like the fact that the ex-head coach believes the Tigers will fall in the Magnolia State. The fanbase in Louisiana may not forgive Kelly for it. LSU at Ole Miss is arguably the biggest game of the season, not just for the Tigers and Rebels, but across the entire college football schedule.

Kiffin is one of College Football’s most brilliant playcallers. Leavitt said the following, “It truly is just a different situation. You talk about being a pro, trying to be the best version of yourself. There’s no other place to do it.“

LSU is a top-tier program and with Kiffin at the helm, the expectations are that the Tigers contend to be National Champions. Now, it’s up to Leavitt to be able to withstand the pressure and competition that brings being the QB1 of a prestigious program.

Why is Lane Kiffin such a prestigious head coach?

Kiffin blends an elite, fast-paced offensive mind with a proven track record of turning around struggling college football programs. His reputation grew from learning under legendary defensive minds like Monte Kiffin, Pete Carroll, and Nick Saban, making him a master at exploiting defensive weaknesses.

Being an expert on defense allowed him to then plan the offense accordingly. That way, he’s been able to transform himself into a top-tier coach, and also a very well-rounded one.

Is Sam Leavitt good enough to thrive at LSU?

Sam Leavitt has the raw arm talent, mobility, and competitive drive to thrive at LSU, especially under head coach Lane Kiffin. However, his success in Baton Rouge heavily depends on staying healthy following a major foot injury and proving he can cut down on consistency issues from his past stint at Arizona State.

Leavitt is a dual-threat playmaker who can create on off-schedule plays and extend drives with his legs. Also, Kiffin has a proven record of elevating transfer quarterbacks into star performers.

College football rivalries are just different, and the feud between Kiffin and his former school, Ole Miss, is trending to be one of the nastiest in 2026. Kiffin has made it clear he still holds love for his time in Oxford, but the fact that he didn’t name Ole Miss nor Chambliss in a recent comment may signal he holds a grudge against the Rebels, just like they do against him.

“Look at the previous place we were at [the University of Mississippi]. The guy [Trinidad Chambliss] didn’t get there until the summer,” Kiffin said, via WGNO News, trying to keep LSU fans calm about the fact Leavitt has undergone surgery and is set to miss the rest of spring football.

Kiffin was recently hit with a subtle shot from Chambliss, who compared him to new Rebels head coach Pete Golding. It seems Kiffin has kept receipts, and fired right back. Knowing Kiffin’s personality, it wouldn’t be all too shocking nor hard to believe.

Why is Leavitt missing spring football?

After transferring from Arizona State to LSU, Sam Leavitt is expected to miss the rest of spring practices in Baton Rouge. As Kiffin stated, this is not news to LSU, as it’s all going according to its timeline for Leavitt. Leavitt suffered a Lisfranc injury to his right foot in 2025.

Recently, he posted a picture of his foot wrapped in bandages. As fans were quick to jump to conclusions about a re-aggravated injury, Leavitt clarified he had the screws from the initial surgery removed. Leavitt made it clear there were no setbacks and it’s all going according to plan.

The redshirt junior quarterback is set to take over under center in the 2026 NCAA season as Garrett Nussmeier departs for the NFL Draft. Leavitt is facing an early setback, but Kiffin remains confident this is nothing to stress about.

What happened to Chambliss last season?

Offseason drama around his eligibility wasn’t exclusive to this year for Trinidad Chambliss. Last season, the Ferris State transfer had to wait until the summer before he was officially declared academically eligible to enroll at Ole Miss. Thus, he missed crucial stages of the offseason with Kiffin and the Rebels.

Upon arrival, he proved he didn’t need a lot of time to adapt to the playbook. Chambliss hit the ground running in The Literary Center of the South and finished the season with 3,937 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and only three interceptions, as well as 527 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the ground. He also led the Rebels to the semifinals of the College Football Playoff before the Miami Hurricanes knocked them out in an instant classic.

Ole Miss vs LSU in 2026

In 2026, Kiffin, Leavitt, and LSU will travel to Oxford to take on Golding, Chambliss, and Ole Miss. It’s set to be a heated showdown in which Kiffin will go up against one of his best creations of his coaching career.

In a cinematic turn of events, the main figure behind Ole Miss’ growth will take on an anger-filled roster filled with players who feel betrayed by Kiffin and will vie to avenge last season’s dramatic chapter.

As is usually the case in college football, reality is stranger than fiction, and the stage is set for one memorable showdown at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in the Magnolia State.

“I would say I mean just the personalities are a little different than our old coach and coach Golding,” Chambliss said, per On3. “I’d say [Golding is] more of a team guy. We really value his leadership, whatever he says.”

Chambliss’ comments make much noise. He transferred to Ole Miss largely because of Kiffin, but is seemingly still upset at his former head coach’s decision to leave the program when LSU came knocking last season.

Chambliss goes after Kiffin

Moreover, Kiffin publicly backed Chambliss’ case as he fought for an extra year of eligibility in 2026. At the end of the day, Chambliss remains eligible for 2026 after the NCAA’s appeal was denied. Still, their relationship may be past its point of no return.

Now, Chambliss isn’t even calling Kiffin by his name. He simply referred to him as “our old coach.” Sometimes, what isn’t said is bigger and louder than what is. This may be the case.

Kiffin and Chambliss’ story

Kiffin saw potential in Chambliss. The head coach recruited him out of junior college at Ferris State and took him under his wing in Oxford. In just one year together, Chambliss blossomed into a top quarterback who put college football on notice. Last NCAA season, Chambliss threw for 3,937 yards, 22 touchdowns, and only three interceptions.

Moreover, he rushed for 527 yards and eight TDs. Chambliss proved he wasn’t simply a product of Kiffin, as he led the Rebels to the College Football Playoff Semifinals. With Pete Golding calling the shots in 2026, Chambliss hopes to have equal—or greater—success. As the sixth-year QB noted, the team has the utmost trust in its new head coach. Kiffin’s dramatic departure taught Ole Miss a lesson, and the Rebels aim to put it to good use next season.

Ole Miss will host LSU in 2026

If college football does indeed have scriptwriters, they deserve recognition, for they have knocked it out of the park with the LSU–Ole Miss saga. Kiffin fled the scene after his exit from Ole Miss but is now set for a dramatic reunion. In September, the Rebels will host the Tigers at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.

Needless to say, Kiffin won’t fly under the radar in his return to Oxford. In the SEC, every game means more, and this will be no exception. Fans in attendance may set a new decibel record for the loudest “Hotty Toddy” in school history.

“Things don’t happen overnight,” Kiffin told reporters during his press conference. “It takes a lot of work to get a program up to an elite performing program level. And so we’re making some first steps, but there’s a ton of work to do.”

LSU finished last season with a record of 7 wins and 6 losses (3–5 SEC). Frank Wilson ended up coaching the team after Brian Kelly’s dismissal, and in 2026, the Tigers face a new challenge with Kiffin at the helm.

The new challenge for Kiffin

Lane Kiffin’s arrival at LSU in late 2025 sent shockwaves through college football, as he signed a massive seven-year, $91 million deal to lead the Tigers. His new challenge in Baton Rouge involves managing a roster with a reported $40 million NIL valuation while facing immediate “win-now” expectations.

With spring practices currently underway, Kiffin is tasked with restoring LSU to national championship contention in the ultra-competitive SEC. The Tigers will look to be crowned champions once again, something they haven’t achieved since 2019 with Joe Burrow leading the way.

The importance of new additions

While the Tigers have made significant additions, Kiffin knows there’s still plenty of work to be done. Sam Leavitt, coming off his latest stint at Arizona State, will be tasked with leading this team on the field.

“Like I’ve said before, we’ve assembled a good roster,” the HC said. “But at the same time, too, there’s a ton of work that goes into that to get the program back up to where everybody around here wants it to be and the reason we came here.

“It was 7-6 last season. So within that comes change. Within that comes a lot of work, because that’s a long jump to go to the level that I came here to get at and all the people around the program want to be at.”

Nussmeier’s departure

Garrett Nussmeier apologized to LSU upon leaving Lane Kiffin’s program, with his future potentially tied to the NFL. With meetings scheduled with the New York Jets, Los Angeles Rams, and Indianapolis Colts, the quarterback is hopeful about taking the next big step in his career.

“Expectations can be really scary. We don’t look at it that way. We don’t talk that way,” Kiffin reflected during his media availability, via @HValentineLSU on X. “That’s outcome-based, not process-based. It’s much more about the day-to-day, improving our players and coaching better.”

Kiffin made it clear he is focused on ensuring the Tigers go about their day-to-day routine and stick to the plan. If that happens, then they have a better chance of winning on Saturdays. Anything can happen—especially in the SEC—but Kiffin is convinced that if LSU trusts the process, the results will be there for everyone in college football to see.

Kiffin is ready for 2026 NCAA season with LSU

His exit from Ole Miss was far from smooth—some may say Kiffin fled Oxford—and his arrival in Baton Rouge was almost cinematic. It wasn’t too surprising, though. After all, drama is a common ingredient when it comes to Kiffin, and this was no exception. The 2026 NCAA campaign likely won’t be either.

“I had a moment before, just reminding myself of how grateful I am to be here,” Kiffin commented. “But also the responsibility level that I have – to LSU, to the people of Louisiana, to the great players that have played here.”

The time to face the music is coming, though. Come fall, every fan who now adores him will demand to see a winning product on the field at Death Valley. If not, then Kiffin’s charisma won’t do him any favors. And it’s not like the Tigers face a cupcake schedule, whatsoever.

LSU 2026 schedule

“I’m sorry that we couldn’t reach those expectations,” Nussmeier said during a press conference on Monday. “It was a tough year. Lot of adversity. Looking back, it was unfortunate, but it’s going to make me a better player.”

Now, Nussmeier is off to the NFL Draft as Lane Kiffin takes over, along with the arrival of Arizona State transfer QB Sam Leavitt. It’s a new day in Baton Rouge—one that Nussmeier won’t be around to see dawn.

Nussmeier’s numbers in 2025

In an injury-plagued college football season, Nussmeier appeared in 9 games in his final year of eligibility. The former four-star prospect out of the state of Texas threw for 1,927 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions with LSU in 2025.

The Tigers finished the year with a 7-6 record in the NCAA (3-5 SEC) and closed out the campaign with a defeat against the Houston Cougars at the Kinder’s Texas Bowl (Nussmeier didn’t play). It was a season unlike any other.

Drama was the name of the game, including wave-making episodes like Brian Kelly’s exit and Kiffin’s escape from Ole Miss and arrival in LSU. With him calling the shots from the sideline, the Tigers are set to be in for another boisterous campaign.

Nussmeier’s draft stock

With one month to go before the 2026 Draft, Nussmeier is drawing attention all over the league. He may not be a finished product in this year’s quarterback class, but he has the tools to become a starter in the NFL. Most likely, Nussmeier will be drafted by a franchise that can afford to give him some time to settle in, rather than one in need of a Day 1 starting QB.

The hearing for Chambliss’ case has stretched on for several hours, with many statements going viral. Among them was a controversial comment from Ole Miss quarterbacks coach Joe Judge, which Kiffin did not let go unnoticed, as he left his former colleague out to dry with only one word and an emoji.

“Joe,” Kiffin simply said, quoting a video from Judge’s statement during Chambliss’ hearing. Kiffin closed out his post with a facepalm emoji. Needless to say, the statement made waves all over college football.

What did Joe Judge say?

Speaking to the jury during the hearing in Chambliss’ lawsuit against the NCAA at Calhoun County Courthouse in Pittsboro, Mississippi, Judge dropped a controversial message on fatherhood for young players.

“That father has to play good football. He needs to be in another room, detached,” Judge said, causing a loud outcry on social media. “He ain’t waking up for midnight feedings.”

Why does Chambliss ask for another year of eligibility?

While Chambliss is requesting an injunction to play in his sixth year of college football, he and his lawyers state it would be only his fourth season. According to Chambliss and his legal team, he was affected by illness and respiratory issues during the 2022 season with Division II Ferris State.

Chambliss transferred to Ole Miss ahead of the 2025 NCAA campaign, when he led Kiffin’s—and then his former team’s—Rebels to the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the VRBO Fiesta Bowl.

“I’m asking what the NCAA has in their rule book. All athletes get four years of eligibility,” Chambliss told the jury during the hearing. If Chambliss is indeed back for the 2026 NCAA season, Ole Miss would be right back in contention for the national title. If not, the Rebels might be in trouble.