Predicting what LSU football will do in 2026 transfer portal
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BATON ROUGE – The college football transfer portal officially opens Jan. 2.
There has been countless players that have already announce their intention to enter their names into the portal when it opens. New LSU football coach Lane Kiffin and his coaching staff will be heavy factors for the top transfers.
Kiffin was officially hired back on Nov. 30 and there has been more than 10 LSU players decide that they will leave the program and enter the portal. There’s also a couple of NFL Draft exits (Harold Perkins Jr., Aaron Anderson) and a number of graduating seniors headlined by cornerback Mansoor Delane, quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, receiver Zavion Thomas, linebacker West Weeks and safety A.J. Haulcy.
There could be 25 departures or more from LSU, leaving Kiffin and his coaches to fill several depth chart holes with players from the transfer portal. Who could LSU target in the portal? Here are five predictions.
LSU football transfer portal predictions
- Omarion Miller (WR, Colorado): Miller is a Louisiana native. He was an effective player for Deion Sanders and Colorado the last three seasons, piling up 1,258 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. This past season was his best year to date in college and physically at 6-2, 210, he fits the profile for what LSU needs at receiver.
- D.J. Lagway (QB, Florida): Sometimes all a player needs is a change of scenery. Lagway had a ton of raw talent. Mistakes have plagued him in his two seasons at Florida. But he led the Gators to some upset wins, like a win over Ole Miss a couple of seasons ago and against LSU in 2024. Kiffin has been great at developing quarterbacks and Lagway could be good in his system.
- Robert Woodyard (LB, Auburn): Of all the linebackers in the transfer portal to this point, Woodyard has as much high-level experience as any other linebacker. He’s also played in the SEC which is a big-plus. Woodyard put together his best season in 2025, amassing 67 tackles, including two sacks. Woodyard was once an Alabama commit before signing with Auburn out of high school.
- Josh Atkins (OT, Arizona State): One of the most experienced offensive linemen in the transfer portal, Atkins has played at three schools, most recently Arizona State and Hawai’i and Houston before that. Atkins (6-4, 310) is from Arlington, Texas and he would fill one of the major needs for LSU in this transfer cycle.
- Xavier Chaplin (OL, Auburn): This past season was Chaplin’s first at Auburn where he started all 12 games and he performed well. The big 6-7, 348-pounder graded out as one of Auburn’s top offensive linemen this season, hitting the 90 mark in five games. LSU desperately needs help along the offensive line and Chaplin’s production and experience would be a perfect fit for Kiffin and company.
When does transfer portal open?
The college football transfer portal opens Jan. 2.
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.
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: LSU football predictions for transfer portal: What LSU could do
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