The battle between LSU and Ole Miss this offseason has been a historic one. Not only did LSU lure Lane Kiffin away from Ole Miss in the midst of the best season in program history, but Kiffin brought several staff members, players, and recruits with him to Baton Rouge.
Jayce Brown steps into the spotlight as LSU’s reloaded WR room takes shape in 2026
Known as "The Portal King," Kiffin utilized the transfer portal to bring several of Ole Miss' top playmakers from 2025 to LSU. The Tigers' No. 1-ranked portal class includes Ole Miss stars Princewill Umanmielen, TJ Dottery, Devin Harper, and Winston Watkins.
Furthermore, Kiffin flipped multiple incoming recruits away from Ole Miss and brought them to Baton Rouge. Most notably, Kiffin's flip of Corey Barber has LSU fans fired up, and his recent 5-star rating continues to rub salt in the wound for Ole Miss fans.
Corey Barber's 5-star rating gives LSU another massive win over Ole Miss
Now that the high school football season is over, Rivals revealed their final recruiting rankings for the 2026 recruiting class. Among the newly minted 5-star prospects is Corey Barber, a highly-touted WR who flipped his commitment from Ole Miss to LSU in December.
🚨NEW🚨 LSU WR signee Corey Barber ranks No. 28 and five-stars in the final 2026 Rivals300🐯https://t.co/lK2bMAJRP8 pic.twitter.com/2RwX8CgI2G
— Rivals (@Rivals) January 27, 2026
Hailing from Pinson, AL, Barber originally committed to Kiffin and the Rebels back on May 9. However, once Kiffin was hired at LSU, Barber de-committed from Ole Miss on November 30 and committed to LSU a few days later on December 3.
At time time of his commitment to LSU, Barber was rated as a 4-star prospect and the 167th ranked player in the country. Now, he is ranked No. 28 overall in the country. That's quite a huge leap for the 6'1" 180-pound wideout, and it gives Kiffin and the Tigers another massive recruiting victory while also dealing Ole Miss another tough blow.
Barber did a little bit of everything during his senior season at Clay-Chalkville High School. The dynamic playmaker caught 68 passes for 1,130 yards and 14 touchdowns while also adding 113 yards, 10.3 yards per carry, and two touchdowns in the running game. He also averaged 24.0 yards across 11 kick returns and 11.8 yards and a touchdown across 11 punt returns.
Barber joins an LSU wide receiver room that underwent major changes over the last month. Kiffin signed nine wideouts through the portal, which figures to be led by Kansas State transfer Jayce Brown. Other transfer WRs who figure to make an impact in the Tiger passing attack include Jackson Harris from Hawai'i, Winston Watkins from Ole Miss, Eugene Wilson III from Florida, Tre' Brown III from Old Dominion, and Malik Elzy from Illinois.
But don't be surprised if Barber makes an impact during his true freshman season. His potential is off the charts, and his ascension in the Rivals recruiting rankings have him entering his freshman season with plenty of hype.