Everything LSU football fans need to know about 2026 transfer portal
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BATON ROUGE — At the start of the new year, the college football transfer portal will open.
Players who intend to leave their current team and find a new home will officially be able to enter their name into the portal Jan. 2. New LSU football head coach Lane Kiffin and the new coaching staff in Baton Rouge will be scouring the portal for players to help fill out their first roster at LSU.
There is no limit to how many players at school can add via the transfer portal and that’s a good thing for Kiffin and company as there are a number of needs the Tigers need this offseason including at quarterback, linebacker and many other units.
The transfer portal closes Jan. 16, meaning players cannot enter after that date but players who are currently in the portal can still commit and sign to play at the new team of their choosing.
How college football transfer portal works
Players who decide they want to leave their school can enter their name into the transfer portal on Jan. 2. Once they do, other schools can then actively recruit them to play. Players generally announce before the portal opening that they intend to transfer but that doesn’t become official until they are formally in the database.
When does transfer portal open?
The college football transfer portal opens Jan. 2.
LSU football transfer portal needs
With Kiffin now at the helm, there is sizeable expected roster turnover for the Tigers. That means the new coaching staff will be in the market for a number of players and the roster needs will be plentiful.
LSU will likely start at quarterback but the needs on offense don’t stop there. The offensive line will be depleted as three linemen have announced they intend to transfer out and the unit was already young and lacking of depth. Kiffin will want some wide receivers as well as LSU’s top receiver is graduating.
On defense, defensive line and linebacker will be areas where the transfer portal should be most utilized. Both of those units had seniors and they’ll be gone so the Tigers will be in the market for quality players that can come in and start.
Is there a limit on players LSU can get from the transfer portal?
No, there is no limit on how many transfers LSU can get out of the transfer portal.
What are transfer portal changes for 2026?
The NCAA adopted a new rule to the transfer portal earlier this year minimizing the number of transfer portal windows down to one. College football players can only start the process of transferring Jan. 2.
Under the new bylaw, the transfer portal stays open for two weeks and closes Jan. 16 which means players are not permitted to enter the transfer portal after that date. But players who are already in the portal by that date are not required to choose their new school by that date and can still choose where they want to play after the portal closing date.
LSU football transfer portal history
The top player LSU has gotten out of the transfer portal was quarterback Jayden Daniels from Arizona State. Daniels played two seasons in Baton Rouge and won the Heisman Trophy in 2023.
This past offseason, LSU landed cornerback Mansoor Delane out of the portal from Virginia Tech and that proved fruitful as he was named a unanimous All-American in 2025. Delane is projected to be a first-round NFL Draft pick.
Other players LSU has gotten out of the portal include wide receiver Aaron Anderson, wide receiver Barion Brown, safety A.J. Haulcy and safety Major Burns.
Cory Diaz covers the LSU Tigers for The Daily Advertiser as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his Tigers coverage on Twitter: @ByCoryDiaz. Got questions regarding LSU athletics? Send them to Cory Diaz at bdiaz@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: How does transfer portal work? LSU football’s needs, history, more
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