Has LSU football backed itself into a corner at quarterback for 2026?

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LSU football is in a precarious spot at the quarterback position for next season. They’re relying solely on the transfer portal to fill both the starter and backup roles for the 2026 season, as every scholarship quarterback on the roster has either entered the portal or is out of eligibility.

When the portal opened, LSU was closely tied to several of the top quarterbacks who had entered, including Brendan Sorsby, DJ Lagway and Sam Leavitt. Although the Tigers reportedly offered Sorsby a massive $3.5M NIL guarantee, the former Cincinnati quarterback signed with Texas Tech. Lagway signed with Baylor Thursday morning, his father’s alma mater.

Earlier this week, LSU appeared to have settled on Leavitt as its quarterback of the future. He toured the Tigers’ facilities, met with the coaching staff and front office, and even attended an LSU women’s basketball game with Lane Kiffin and Whit Weeks, per On3’s Steve Wiltfong.

Then the situation got complicated. Washington quarterback Demond Williams entered the transfer portal Tuesday evening, and it was widely reported that LSU was the team most interested in landing him, essentially leaving Leavitt in the dust. Leavitt visited Tennessee on Thursday and has a visit to Miami scheduled for later this week, per On3’s Pete Nakos.

But after 48 hours of drama, Williams announced he was returning to Washington.

The situation was complicated. Williams announced his plans to enter the portal just days after signing a deal with Washington, and according to The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel, they had no plans to release him from his contract — which specifically prohibits a player from entering the portal once signed.

ESPN’s Pete Thamel published an article on Wednesday afternoon detailing the situation between Williams and Washington. He interviewed several higher-ups in the college football world for the piece, and their quotes suggest the league will make it a real challenge for Williams to get out of his contract.

"This is a very bright line," a high-ranking college official said. "Are we going to respect each other's contracts? This is a very simple thing. If we can't protect this, nothing else matters."

"This situation is a product of 2026 football," a prominent athletic director told ESPN. "Where the story ends, this is one of the big moments in college football — or really, college sports — and what we do next."

Williams' decision to return to Washington left LSU in a precarious spot.

The reports that the Tigers were the heavy favorite to land Williams likely damaged Leavitt’s interest in signing with LSU.

If Leavitt commits elsewhere, there are a few other top-ranked quarterbacks available, like Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola and Auburn’s Deuce Knight, but neither has the same combination of talent and experience that Williams or Leavitt do. Either way, if the situation drags on too long, they may end up signing with other programs before LSU has the chance to pursue them.

To be clear, much of this situation is speculation. There haven’t been reports that Leavitt is no longer interested. However, the Tigers appear to have staked their offseason plans on those two players, and it could end up coming back to bite them in 2026.

This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: Has LSU football backed itself into a corner at quarterback for 2026?

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