The LSU Tigers are heading into the 2026 college football season full of optimism after the mediocrity of the Brian Kelly era.
One of the biggest reasons for optimism is new head coach Lane Kiffin, who’s known as one of the best offensive minds in college football.
Speaking of offense, the Tigers got the best offensive player in the transfer portal this offseason in former Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Sam Leavitt.
In two seasons at Arizona State, Leavitt threw for 4,513 yards and 34 touchdowns against just nine interceptions. He went 16-4 as a starting quarterback at ASU.
There’s reason to believe that the offseason additions of Kiffin and Leavitt could finally get LSU into the College Football Playoff picture. There was one hitch this offseason, though. Leavitt has been recovering from a Lisfranc foot injury that led him to get season-ending surgery in October 2025.
If Leavitt isn’t healthy, his transfer to LSU doesn’t matter. The good news for the Tigers is that Kiffin recently revealed that the prized transfer quarterback should be able to get into the action over the summer.
Leavitt had the pins in his foot removed, and he’s recently started running. Once team activities begin for the Tigers this summer, the expectation is that Leavitt will be without limitation.
Lane Kiffin offers injury update on Sam Leavitt
“He’s gonna be able to do full summer stuff,” Kiffin said on Thursday, according to LSU Wire. “ I don’t know what the exact date is, but yes, he’s going to be able to do full stuff in the summer.”
Leavitt is the headliner of this new-look LSU program this offseason, but the Tigers did great work to overhaul their roster to Kiffin’s liking.
According to 247Sports, Kiffin and the Tigers brought in the top-ranked portal class in the country.
Ironically, Kiffin’s old stomping grounds, Ole Miss, checked in at No. 2 in those rankings.
