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When LSU football hired Lane Kiffin to take over its football program, there was nothing but pure excitement. One of college football’s premier programs hired one of the top offensive minds in the sport, filling fans’ heads with hope for an Indiana-like turnaround. Then the transfer portal happened, and the Tigers signed the No. 1 class, bringing in the top-ranked offensive tackle, quarterback, and edge rusher, along with several other players with loads of potential.

At Lane Kiffin’s press conference to close out the spring practice window on Tuesday afternoon, the mood around the program was far less exciting, bordering on worrisome. Kiffin’s tone was somber. His comments weren’t the confident banter Kiffin has become known for over the years; they almost seemed as if he were trying to tamp down expectations for the team’s upcoming season.

When asked to reflect on how the spring went in Baton Rouge, here’s what Kiffin had to say:

“I think the guys did a really good job of buying in, working hard, trying to do the right things, very little distractions from guys,” Kiffin responded, “I think we have a long ways to go with learning our systems inside and out, and making sure that we’re using players in the right spots and not just running our system because that’s what our system was.”

These aren't the overtly negative comments that Kiffin made earlier this spring, but they certainly don't exude the confidence that fans have come to expect over the past few months.

Kiffin also spent a fair amount of time discussing quarterback Sam Leavitt’s absence from the team-period portion of practice this spring. Leavitt has been at practice and even participated in 7-on-7 during Saturday’s scrimmage, but he hasn't appeared in live, full-speed reps. Kiffin said that not having Leavitt out there has given spring a certain “feeling,” and it doesn’t seem like a particularly good one.

When you think about Leavitt’s apparent struggles to acclimate to Kiffin’s system, it underscores that there has been a massive offensive overhaul at LSU this offseason. It’s a brand-new staff working with an offensive roster they have no past experience with, aside from slot receiver Winston Watkins Jr and backup guard Devin Harper. It’s true that Indiana went from a 2-11 program to a national champion in two years under Curt Cignetti, but is placing that sort of expectation on Kiffin realistic, or should Cignetti’s performance be seen as more of an outlier?

To be fair, Kiffin’s comments over the past couple of weeks have been far less concerning than those he made in early April, and there’s always a chance things will be fully gelled by the fall. But ultimately, before Cignetti arrived in Bloomington, new coaches were given a bit more leeway in their first seasons. Maybe it’s time to do the same for Kiffin and the Tigers.

LSU Football Schedule — 2026

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Should LSU football fans be worried about the 2026 season?

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