Paul Finebaum, Louis Riddick praise Lane Kiffin for LSU’s transfer portal acquisitions
By David Wasson
Published:
The transition from Ole Miss to LSU was a tumultuous one for coach Lane Kiffin, but it certainly seems to have paid plenty of near-term dividends to the Tigers.
ESPN analysts Louis Reddick and Paul Finebaum appeared Wednesday morning on Get Up – and both praised Kiffin’s efforts in being able to attract talent and build a football program in the modern transfer portal era.
“He dominated the end of the season with his move, and then the CFP chaos, and then in the portal,” Finebaum said, highlighting LSU’s pickup of former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt. “That was a major acquisition, because he had to have a quarterback. He did so well in the portal, which could be a problem – because he has so many new players on that team. But I think, even with a difficult schedule, LSU is a CFP team.”
Leavitt is a major reason why LSU is a contender to win the SEC in 2026 on Kalshi:
Reddick agreed with Finebaum, saying that no college coach in the current era understands how to recruit through the transfer portal quite like Kiffin.
“You can say what you want about him, this guy has mastered (the transfer portal) and has been killing it over the past three years,” Reddick said. “He understands that kids vibe a little bit differently now. … Kids will change schools in a heartbeat, and he is able to connect with them, and his coaching staff is able to connect with them, in a way that gets them to come and want to play in his offense, in particular.
“Here’s the one thing, though, that not a lot of people talk about, but Lane believes at LSU he can attract top-flight defensive players – which something he struggled with at Ole Miss.”
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
