After a strong start to the 2026 college football season, head coach Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers were on the wrong side of a revenge tour, losing to the Ole Miss Rebels 32-24 this past weekend.

LSU now sits as the No. 10 team in the AP poll with a 2-1 record. A quarter of the way through the 2026 regular season, it is time to gain some deeper context for this Tigers team, everything it brings to the table, and more importantly, the things it might be missing.

Let’s evaluate the winners through three games, players who have lived up to or exceeded expectations, and the others who have left something to be desired. The “losers” obviously have nine regular season games plus hopefully some more to showcase just how talented they are.

THE WINNERS

Dilin Jones

When Dilin Jones transferred from Wisconsin this offseason, not many people expected him to be the top ball carrier for LSU. He has been just that. Through three games, Jones has 64 carries for 285 yards and three touchdowns. The next closest running back is Stacy Gage, who has carried the ball just 15 times.

While Jones’s 4.5-yard-per-carry average is nothing crazy, he has provided LSU’s run game with a toughness the Tigers have been sorely needing over the last couple of years. He is not a dynamic athlete at the position, but his combination of vision and physicality has been a welcome sight in the Kiffin offense.

Sam Leavitt’s running ability

We will get deeper on Sam Leavitt in a bit, but his rushing ability has been a godsend for this LSU team. He is the second-leading rusher behind Jones with 40 carries for 198 yards and six touchdowns. That is five yards per carry.

Leavitt’s ability both as an improviser and in the quarterback run game has been huge for the Tigers’ offense. We have seen in the past when Kiffin has athletic quarterbacks behind center, they have the upside of unlocking the aptitude of the offense in general. That has been easily the best part of what Leavitt has brought to the table.

Trey’Dez Green

While Tey’Dez Green is dealing with a bit of an injury right now, he has been tremendous through three games. The 6-foot-7, 245-pound tight end currently leads the team with 14 receptions for 222 yards and has also scored a touchdown. His 15.9-yard-per-catch average is tremendous for the position, while adding two carries for seven yards on the ground as well.

Green, who has also played basketball for LSU, is one of the best overall athletes in all of college football. If he is able to maintain health throughout the rest of the season, he has a chance to be a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Winston Watkins Jr.

There was an overhaul at the wide receiver position for LSU this offseason, but not many people probably thought Watkins was going to develop into the go-to receiver for this team. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound pass catcher followed Kiffin from Ole Miss and has quickly developed into one of the more dynamic weapons in the SEC.

In three contests, Watkins has hauled in 15 receptions for 207 yards and two touchdowns. His combination of explosiveness and ability to affect space has been tremendous for an LSU offense that manufactures it about as well as any program in the country.

Princewill Umanmielen

After a good season for Ole Miss in 2025, Umanmielen has taken his game to an even higher level with LSU. In three games, he has totaled 15 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and six sacks. Both the tackle-for-loss and sack numbers lead the team.

While he is just an average player against the run, Umanmielen’s combination of explosiveness and bend has been an absolute terror for opposing quarterbacks. He has certainly lived up to the transfer portal billing.

The linebackers

The duo of Whit Weeks and TJ Dottery has been really good for LSU so far. This season, the pair has combined for 39 total tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss while also forcing two fumbles and breaking up three passes.

It should not be a shock to see Weeks make his impact felt. When he has been healthy over the last couple of years, he has been this team’s most impactful defender. Dottery also followed Kiffin over from Ole Miss and has been a master of chaos for this defense, possessing incredible athleticism from his Will linebacker position.

Improving secondary

The LSU secondary might be one of the more improved units overall this season with playmakers everywhere. Despite losing Mansoor Delane to the 2026 NFL Draft, players like DJ Pickett, Ja’Keem Jackson, PJ Woodland, and transfer safety Ty Benefield have done a really good job on the back end for the Tigers.

Most will point to their struggles against Trinidad Chambliss from Ole Miss, but just about every secondary struggles against Chambliss. The defensive unit is in a good spot right now under defensive coordinator Blake Baker, and a big part of that is the improving secondary.

THE LOSERS

Sam Leavitt’s passing

While Leavitt has been really good on the ground, his passing has been pretty abysmal. He has completed 57 of 93 passes for 732 yards and three touchdowns, but has also thrown five interceptions and completed just 61.3% of his passes.

Quite simply, it has been a struggle through the air for Leavitt, who has done a poor job of maintaining composure in structure, playing on time, and bailing on too many solid pockets. He needs to be a lot more controlled and composed throughout the rest of the season in order to preserve his job.

Lane Kiffin’s revenge

All the talk this offseason was the animosity between Kiffin and his former employer, the Ole Miss Rebels. When the Tigers traveled to Oxford this past weekend, most expected Kiffin to come out with the last laugh. LSU even had a weird ploy with Levitt’s injury availability that left some scratching their heads throughout the week.

Despite that, LSU did not look prepared. The Tigers came out incredibly flat, mounted a bit of a comeback, but eventually were on the wrong side of the scoreboard, completing one of the more deflating revenge arcs in recent memory.

Jayce Brown

Of all the transfer portal wide receivers LSU signed, none had more receiving yards in 2025 than former Kansas State star Jayce Brown. Despite playing in three games, Brown is holding just four receptions for 37 yards. His combination of explosiveness and top gear were something everyone was excited about when he transferred to LSU, but it has been a huge disappointment so far.

Harlem Berry and Caden Durham

Berry and Durham were both decorated recruits and the two leading rushers for LSU a season ago. Both have been buried on the depth chart by Jones and Gage, which was not predicted when the offseason began. The duo has run the ball a total of nine times for 14 yards, and Durham has received just four carries for one yard while playing in only two games.

It is hard to imagine both runners will be on this team after the 2026 season. It has been a disaster for both, especially if they did buy into the vision for Kiffin.