Lane Kiffin discusses roster retention during LSU bye week | LSU

College football bye weeks offer players and coaches an opportunity for some R and R.

But in this era, it’s reasonable to question what exactly those R’s mean.

The best example came last week, nearly 2,500 miles from LSU, where Oregon State wideout Jesse Legree was playing so well that there was rampant speculation about whether the Beavers had the money to retain the star freshman.

During the bye week, Legree — who has 1,040 yards and 14 touchdowns — put pen to paper in front of a TV screen with “RE-SIGNED” in bold print beside a Beavers logo. Rest, relaxation and retention became the focus for Oregon State ahead of its open date.

Could some R and R and R be in store for LSU during its off week?

Lane Kiffin acknowledged the retention piece was a “really good” question when he was asked about the possibility during a Sunday teleconference, though he declined to go into much detail because of the “game plan-ish” nature of those discussions.

“We do have a young team,” Kiffin said. “I think that when we put together things, just like we did two years ago at Ole Miss with that team, the best thing we can do is find guys with multiple years in the portal of eligibility so then you don’t have to re-change your team every year.”

There are a significant number of players on the LSU roster who could return in 2027, especially considering the NCAA’s move to a 5-for-5 eligibility model allows current fourth-year seniors to play a fifth season.

It’s highly likely seniors such as edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen and safety Ty Benefield will head to the NFL, and juniors such as tight end Trey’Dez Green and left tackle Jordan Seaton might have a hard time passing up the draft.

But the likes of running back Dilin Jones, receiver Jackson Harris and quarterback Sam Leavitt could return, and the LSU defense has standouts such as cornerback DJ Pickett, edge rusher Jordan Ross and defensive tackle Deuce Geralds to account for.

Even if LSU doesn’t have athletes signing on the dotted line for the 2027 season this week, Tigers general manager Billy Glasscock has started working out the math on what players will cost and how much will need to be invested at each position.

Glasscock said last week on Kiffin’s radio show that football programs need to think six months ahead. The college football transfer portal opens Jan. 2, which is just over two months away.

“We obviously gotta spend a lot of time with what our current situation is, because our current situation dictates our future situation,” Glasscock said. “So we gotta make decisions based on how players are developing and how we’re moving through the organization. And those are daily, but the vision is long-term.”

The most important thing, according to Glasscock, is making sure LSU’s money is “on the field.” The Tigers don’t want to overspend on freshmen who aren’t going to contribute immediately.

LSU wants a balance of high school recruiting and transfers but not at the expense of financial discipline or rolling with an inexperienced roster.

“The one thing that the portal and the playoffs did do in college football is it really gives you no grace as a coaching staff and as a general manager,” Glasscock said, “which means nobody at this table wants to hear us say, ‘Hey, man, we’re young, we’re gonna be good in three years.’ ”

Difficult decisions need to be made between now and the end of the season, but Kiffin likes the way his roster sets up for 2027 because LSU has only 15 seniors. There are 100 Tigers listed as freshmen, sophomores or juniors.

Kiffin points to his old program, Ole Miss, which has former transfers such as running back Kewan Lacy, receiver Deuce Alexander, quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and tight end Caleb Odom playing prominent roles in their second seasons with the Rebels.

That’s the model for LSU, as long as Harris, Jones, Ross and others can be retained.

“There’s a number of guys like that, that’s playing extremely well, that came to us in the portal that can play another year,” Kiffin said. “I just think that’s the best way to build your program.”

In the nearer term, the Tigers have to make good on a rumored $50 million investment in this year’s roster by making a run at a College Football Playoff berth.

The bye should help there, too.

There will be time for LSU’s most beat-up players to rest. Kiffin said LSU also can spend more time self-scouting this week, reflecting on weak points and considering different roles for individual players.

Some coaches will get out on the recruiting trail, but LSU won’t overdo it there.

“I tell parents that … in recruiting. There’ll be some other teams in recruiting that call you more, the head coach will FaceTime you every night. Then when you’re there, guess what, they’re doing that with the next kids,” Kiffin said. “Our focus is always on our current players, our current team. Not prospective ones.”