LSU announced that head coach Lane Kiffin completed his first spring practice session in Baton Rouge. The coach identified several areas needing attention as he builds the program.
Kiffin said personnel shortages remain his biggest concern. He’s calling for college football to bring back a second transfer portal window, which helped him succeed at Ole Miss.
Most coaches oppose additional player movement after spring games.
“I’ve been very open about that. I wish there was another (portal window),” Kiffin told reporters recently. “I’ve talked to other coaches about that, and coaches that have been somewhere 2-3 years feel differently because they like that they have their whole roster. … But in your first year, yeah, I don’t think many coaches would say that, but if they were honest, they’d probably say they wished there was (another) one.”
The NCAA eliminated the second portal window with no plans to restore it. The single transfer period ran from Jan. 2-16 this year and reduced unnecessary roster movement.
Players can’t transfer before the season starts under current rules. This gives coaches more roster stability throughout the year.
Kiffin’s proposal faces strong opposition. College football analyst David Pollack challenged the coach’s position during a recent discussion.
“Nobody wants this,” Pollack said on his podcast. “Lane does, and maybe some (first-year) coaches do. But do we want this madness? How would that work? (First-year coaches) can go pillage other rosters, but nobody else can replenish their rosters? That doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t want any part of that.”
The NCAA might extend the current window to about a month instead of returning to two separate periods.
Kiffin used the transfer portal heavily this offseason. His recruiting class includes five-star quarterback Sam Leavitt from Arizona State and other top-tier talent.
He attempted to bring several players from Ole Miss to LSU. Most of his former team stayed with Pete Golding after the Rebels’ College Football Playoff run.
The Tigers finished spring practice with Kiffin still evaluating roster needs for the upcoming season.
