HOW LANE KIFFIN DELIVERED THE GREATEST TRANSFER PORTAL CLASS IN CFB HISTORY

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Due to Lane Kiffin's LSU Tigers losing or dismissing nearly 40 players to the portal, as the year came to a close, Kiffin and his staff strapped in for the hard work ahead, knowing they'd need to replenish (& in some positions) completely refill their roster in a massive rebuild operation.

The quarterback, offensive line and wide receiver rooms needed a total overhaul, key positions on defense required reinforcements and even a face-lift up front.

Kiffin and his staff embarked on an expansive, exhaustive exhibition of transfer portal due diligence, signing both high profile and high value targets, looking far and wide for gems meeting their evaluations.

Despite a stuttering start, questions swirling about the quarterback position as Kiffin pursued Demond Williams, and Sam Leavitt distancing himself from LSU for a wild few days, the Portal King was able to flip the script and turn LSU's extremely well funded NIL mission into a burgeoning roster that may just be able to win big in Year 1.

Kiffin responded to the pressure, and the fanbase mandate, with a historic takeover of the transfer portal, signing the #1 ranked quarterback Sam Leavitt, #1 rated offensive lineman Jordan Seaton, #1 ranked edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen, alongside numerous elite talents at the Tigers' biggest positions of need (another top 10 QB Husan Longstreet, safety Ty Benefield, linebacker TJ Dottery, defensive linemen Jordan Ross and Jaylen Brown, a slew of receivers, some key interior offensive line additions, a couple running backs who left top programs, among others)...

It was a savage month-long statement of championship intent from Kiffin & Co, recruiting 5 star players alongside his young sons, Knox and Cookie, helped by captain linebacker and "friend of the family" Whit Weeks, while GM Billy Glasscock made the deals work for both sides, Charlie Weis Jr jumping on one private plane from Oxford back to Baton Rouge after another, as Kiffin activated the donors, the fanbase and the athletic department's full backing following each subsequent portal victory.

Now, after finishing the class on a rampage, reaching the $40 million mark LSUOdyssey forecasted multiple times, signing the #1 edge rusher & #1 offensive lineman in the class, while adding veteran depth & elite difference makers all over the roster, specifically in the trenches, Kiffin just supplied LSU with the greatest transfer portal class of all time (concerning rankings & pedigree)...making Year 1 under Kiffin an expectant proving ground for contention, rather than a season of rebuilding.

Just looking at the class from 10,000 feet should scare all SEC opponents, and make every LSU fan salivate:

LSU now has an elite, veteran, dual threat quarterback in Sam Leavitt, a strong backup QB in Husan Longstreet, a rebuilt / upgraded receiver room replete with profiles fit for success in Kiffin's system, strong retention at running back (Harlem Berry & Caden Durham who entered the portal before ultimately pulling his name out), adding a true pinnacle tackle in Jordan Seaton, leaning on returning center Braelin Moore, while defensively, returning stars Whit Weeks, Tamarcus Cooley, DJ Pickett, Davhon Keys, PJ Woodland and Dashawn Spears should be backed, fronted and playing alongside exciting new additions Ty Benefield, TJ Dottery, Jaylen Brown, Princewill Umanmielen, and freshman safety Faheem Delane (younger brother of LSU's Thorpe Award finalist Mansoor Delane), among others....

I go through all those names to submit one thing, and one thing only:

The hard work in January was breathless for Kiffin and his staff, but now the true work begins...getting this squad of returning Tigers and over 40 portal signings to gel as a team, and above all winning is now a must due to the overwhelming investment.

So, for Lane Kiffin's Year 1 at LSU, the stakes are getting higher...the plot thickens...& for any & every LSU fan, you gotta love it...

...This is what it's all about...

...This is what LSU was always capable of....and now, the sleeping giant has awakened...

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By LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN

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