Can't Wait For Saturday Who won the transfer portal? Lane Kiffin? Really?

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Jan. 18—***

I'm sure there are some people who root for Lane Kiffin. His family for one. And the nice folks at LSU.

But in college football circles that might be about it.

In has what now turned into a string of awkward departures from jobs, the talented coach has left plenty of anger in his wake. With the next group responsible for cleaning up.

And yet, the stained reputation doesn't seem to hurt him in his current job. Or hasn't so far.

Based on the rankings of the smart staff at 247 Sports, Kiffin and LSU are having a moment. As of early Sunday morning, the Tigers have the top-rated class in the 2026 transfer portal. The 37 commits include one five-star player and 11 with four.

One name should jump out, former Illinois receiver Malik Elzy, who made his move into the portal known early.

Kiffin took just three players from Mississippi, which I'm guessing the folks in Oxford appreciated.

The big get was former Arizona State quarterback Sam Leavitt, who figures to jump in as starter his first year.

Don't feel too bad for Mississippi about losing Kiffin. The program will now sleep better at night. And the next staff has the current No. 2 transfer class.

In fact, the top three in the transfer portal rankings are from the SEC with Texas checking in next.

Then, comes the Big Ten, led by Ohio State at four, Penn State at five and Indiana at seven.

And where is Illinois ranked? Though the parts are not all settled, Illinois sits at No. 63 overall with its 16 commits, good for 15th in the Big Ten. Illinois is trailed by Iowa, Maryland and Rutgers.

What does it all mean? You won't know for sure until late August.

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