The college football transfer portal has officially opened, and Lane Kiffin is looking to make a splash. With a lot of production to replace on both sides of the ball, Tiger fans are eager to see what moves Kiffin makes over the next few weeks. Kiffin has been praised for his use of the portal in recent seasons at Ole Miss, and LSU fans are hoping that success continues into his tenure in Baton Rouge.
Ole Miss fans in shambles as Lane Kiffin banks another huge bonus
The biggest move Kiffin is likely to make is bringing in a quarterback. As it stands, Michael Van Buren is the only scholarship QB on the LSU roster for 2026. Van Buren has shown plenty of potential, but it seems likely that Kiffin is still looking for his QB1 for next season.
One name that is already linked to Kiffin and LSU is Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby. Sorsby is ranked as the No. 1 QB in the portal by Saturday Blitz, and he has the potential to do big things in Kiffin's offense. Sorbsy is slated to visit Baton Rouge in the next couple of days, giving Kiffin and the Tigers some serious momentum in the early stages of the transfer portal window.
Lane Kiffin has competition in the battle for Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby
However, Kiffin has plenty of competition for Sorsby's services. As one of the top players in the portal, Sorsby is generating plenty of interest from multiple Power 4 programs. Most notably, Pete Thamel has reported that Sorsby is slated to visit Texas Tech before making his way to Baton Rouge.
Sources: Former Cincinnati QB Brendan Sorsby has visits lined up to both Texas Tech and LSU. He’s set to fly to visit Texas Tech today and will go from there Baton Rouge. He's ESPN's No. 1 ranked portal player in @max_olson rankings. pic.twitter.com/6icd8xa0xz
— Pete Thamel (@PeteThamel) January 2, 2026
Texas Tech is coming off an impressive 2025 campaign in which they posted an 11-1 record in the regular season. They then defeated BYU in the Big 12 Championship Game, and were the No. 4 seed in the College Football Playoff. However, their season came to a grinding stop in a 23-0 loss to the Oregon Ducks in the quarterfinal round on New Year's Day. Texas Tech has gone all in on NIL and the transfer portal, and Sorsby is at the top of their list as they look to re-tool their roster for 2026.
Lane Kiffin's has found great success with transfer QBs
But Kiffin and LSU have plenty to offer as well. LSU has produced a pair of Heisman Trophy quarterbacks over the last 7 seasons in Joe Burrow (2019) and Jayden Daniels (2023). Furthermore, Kiffin turned transfer QB Jaxson Dart into a top-10 pick at Ole Miss. He also developed Division II transfer Trinidad Chambliss into a superstar this season. That kind of experience and proven track record makes LSU an ideal landing spot for Sorsby.
This past season, Sorsby racked up 2,800 passing yards to go along with 27 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions. He also added 580 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground. Kiffin's offenses have thrived with dual-threat QBs in recent seasons, which means Sorsby's skill set could be a perfect fit.