Lane Kiffin has already experienced plenty of recruiting wins in his short time at the helm of the LSU Football program. Kiffin signed 14 players during the Early Signing Period, including a trio of 5-star prospects. He then inked the No. 1 transfer portal class in the country last month, which included signing three of the top-5 players on the market according to On3 in QB Sam Leavitt, OT Jordan Seaton, and EDGE Princewill Umanmielen.
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As Kiffin and his staff continue to look for elite talent to bring to Baton Rouge, a player they have their eye on is 2027 WR Nick Lennear. The highly-touted prospect checks in as a top-25 recruit in the 2027 recruiting class per Rivals Industry, and has garnered plenty of attention from Power 4 schools all over the country.
Linnear has narrowed his list of finalists down to five teams, and LSU is firmly in the running. Along with LSU, Linnear's final five schools include Florida State, Texas A&M, Miami (FL), and Syracuse. But where does LSU stand among the crowd?
The Miami Hurricanes appear to be the favorites to land 5-star WR Nick Linnear
According to Rivals insider Chad Simmons, the general feeling around the recruiting world is that the Miami Hurricanes are the favorites to land Linnear's services.
"Just like (Mark) Matthews, Miami's been setting the pace in this race even longer," Simmons said on Thursday morning when speaking with Josh Newberg. "I think a year-plus for Nick Lennear. People are just kind of waiting to see when does he commit to the University of Miami."
"People are just waiting to see -- when does he commit to the University of Miami"@ChadSimmons_ says the 'Canes lead for Nick Lennear, one of the most coveted recruits in South Florida this cycle 🙌 pic.twitter.com/fitHDcPvMY
— Josh Newberg (@josh_newberg) February 26, 2026
Linnear is a South Florida native, as he hails from Opa Locka, FL. He plays for Miami Carol City Senior High School, which is less than a 30 minute drive from Coral Gables.
Mario Cristobal and his staff have used that close proximity to their advantage, as Linnear has spent multiple unofficial visits with the Hurricanes over the last several months. Furthermore, Linnear has locked in an official visit to Coral Gables for May 29.
According to the 247Sports Composite, Linnear is ranked as the No. 14 overall prospect and the No. 4 wide receiver in the country, as well as the No. 2 player in the state of Florida for the 2027 recruiting class.
Miami may be the frontrunner, but Kiffin and LSU can't be counted out just yet. Tiger fans are hoping Kiffin can continue to push and gain some ground on the Hurricanes in Linnear's recruitment over the next several months.