LSU transfer QB Landen Clark is already taking strong stance regarding Sam Leavitt joining the room that Tigers fans would love to hear
The Tigers quarterback room is shaping out to be a competitive battle in 2026.
The LSU Tigers have made some significant splashes in the transfer portal going into the first year under new head coach Lane Kiffin, bringing a lot of competition to the roster in 2026.
The position that’s starting to really look promising for the upcoming year and beyond is the quarterback position, a spot Kiffin really needed to address with Garrett Nussmeier expected to depart for the 2026 NFL Draft.
The big swing Kiffin landed at quarterback was former Arizona State starting quarterback Sam Leavitt, arguably the top quarterback option available in the portal. But, before the Tigers reeled in Leavitt, Kiffin found another QB that will bring a lot of competition to the room in former Elon University quarterback Landen Clark.
LSU quarterback Landen Clark is ready to compete in a stacked QB room
“When Landen got the call [on Monday], Landen literally said; ‘Coach, I’m the best quarterback in the room anyways. I want competition, I came to LSU because I know I’m going to compete,’” Clark’s trainer Baylin Trujillo said, via Power Hour LSU. “That’s what I’m saying, he’s built different. Like, he does not care. He even told the coaches on his visit, if you sign Sam Leavitt, I’m still going to be the one. That’s just his mentality, that’s always been his mentality.”
Tigers fans might take that kind of confident statement two different ways but by no means did Clark intend to downplay his future teammate or come across as arrogant. He just believes in his skills and is fired up to compete for a role in that room.
“He’s not an arrogant kid,” Trujillo added. “He’s all humble, he’s all business. He loves just the game of football and he will do anything it takes to win. He will sell out his body for the team, no matter what that looks like. If you have that [mindset] with Coach Lane Kiffin… at some point in three years, Landen Clark’s name is going to be all over the SEC.”
Leavitt won’t be the only quarterback Clark will be competing against on the practice field. On Wednesday, the Tigers added another talented quarterback to the room off the transfer portal after landing a commitment from USC quarterback Husan Longstreet, a former five-star and No. 4 quarterback in the class of 2025.
Longstreet spent the 2025 season as the backup behind Jayden Maiava, but did appear in four games, going 13/15 passing for 103 yards with one touchdown and zero interceptions while adding 76 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Since Longstreet played just four games this past season, he still has his redshirt season available giving the Tigers extra flexibility to see if he, or Clark, could be the guy in 2027 if Leavitt leaves for the NFL. But, for the 2026 season, all three quarterbacks are in the running for QB1, and the backup spot, with Leavitt having the clear shot to win the starting job. And competition leads to excellence.
What the Tigers are getting in QB Landen Clark
Clark spent the 2025 season at Elon University in the CAA at the FCS level. Prior to joining the Phoenix, he led his high school team to a perfect 15-0 record and a state championship title.
During his 12 games as the starter at Elon in 2025, Clark threw for 2,321 yards and 18 touchdowns with 8 interceptions while rushing for 614 yards and 11 touchdowns. In 2024, Clark appeared in just four games, meaning he retains his redshirt season and has three years of eligibility remaining with LSU.
The first trait that pops off the screen watching his game is the bazooka of an arm he has. Just watch this 78-yard touchdown against Western Carolina for example. Clark released this ball at the 14-yard-line and the ball was caught at the opposite 20-yard-line. That’s 66-yards in the air.
Clark has the wheels as well when factoring in his rushing ability. The highlight of his 17 rushing touchdowns was this 86-yard run against NC A&T but he also had multiple other 20+ yard scampers throughout season.
The talent is there and this guy is going to bring some competitive juice to the Tigers quarterback room over the next three years. He’s an incredible find by Kiffin and we’ll see what kind of opportunity he can create for himself at LSU.
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