Although he is not coaching on the sidelines during the Texas Bowl, the Lane Kiffin era in Baton Rouge is underway. Kiffin was announced as LSU's new head coach back on November 30, and navigated the Early Signing Period in his first days on the job. He signed 14 recruits including a pair of 5-stars in Lamar Brown and Richard Anderson.
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Both Brown and Anderson are in-state products, with Brown hailing from right down the road at University Lab in Baton Rouge, and Anderson hailing from Edna Karr High School in New Orleans. It's no secret that the state of Louisiana is a hotbed for elite prep talent, and that's something that Kiffin fully intends to prioritize during his LSU tenure.
Lane Kiffin speaks on recruiting in-state talent at LSU
During the 1st quarter of Saturday night's Texas Bowl matchup between LSU and Houston, Kiffin joined the ESPN broadcast booth to give a glimpse into his first month on the job. Along with recapping his first month, Kiffin also spoke about how he plans to build his LSU rosters for 2026 and beyond.
Kiffin stated that he plans to prioritize recruiting in-state talent while filling in the gaps through the transfer portal. Tiger fans are loving his approach.
One of the most appealing parts of the LSU job is the recruiting base in the state of Louisiana.
— Glen West (@glenwest21) December 28, 2025
Good to hear Lane Kiffin speak on that tonight in the broadcast booth. #LSU
One aspect that makes LSU arguably the best job in all of college football is the recruiting advantages as being the lone SEC school in Louisiana. Kiffin plans to take full advantage of that.
“I think you have an individual plan for wherever you're at,” Kiffin said, “and LSU being LSU in the state of Louisiana...you got so many great in-state players in Louisiana like (coach Nick) Saban said – more per-capita than any other state when it comes to NFL players."
Kiffin specifically mentioned Malik Nabers, who emerged into a star WR for the Tigers after spending his prep career at Ovey Comeaux High School in Lafayette. “So to keep those guys home is a huge priority, to build through high school and to add to the portal. That’s different than what we had to do in the state of Mississippi.”
Kiffin has been known to heavily utilize the portal, but he's never had this kind of recruiting advantage. As LSU fans yearn for another shot at a national title, they are eager to see Kiffin bring in the top players in the state to lead LSU to the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019.