Lane Kiffin, Charlie Weis Jr. and company finally landed their big quarterback fish Monday morning to headline LSU’s hefty transfer-portal haul.
Arizona State star Sam Leavitt was among three newly reported additions, along with Troy wide receiver Roman Mothershed and Kentucky right tackle Darrin Strey.
The Tigers announced the signings of Mothershed and Strey, and On3 was first to report Leavitt’s commitment which brings the program’s total number of incoming transfers to 28 as of Monday morning.
[Click here for a more complete picture of LSU’s roster + transfer movement.]
Leavitt was ranked the No. 1 overall player in available in the transfer portal this month, according to On3, and addresses the Tigers’ dire need for a new starting quarterback after the departures of Garrett Nussmeier for the NFL and Michael Van Buren Jr. and Colin Hurley for the transfer portal.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound passer arrives with two winning and decorated seasons of Power-Four starting experience already under his belt, but two years of eligibility still remaining.
Leavitt signed with Michigan State as a highly touted high school prospect out of West Linn, Ore., in the 2023 class and saw limited action for the Spartans during a true freshman year.
He moved to Arizona State in 2024 where his prolific redshirt freshman season immediately etched him in the program record books, earned Big 12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year honors and led the Sun Devils to a conference championship and the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
His redshirt sophomore campaign this fall was on pace to challenge, if not exceed, those debut numbers before a Lisfranc ligament injury in his right foot and subsequent surgery prematurely ended his season.
Leavitt arrives to Baton Rouge with three-year career totals of 4,652 yards, 36 touchdowns and 11 interceptions on 376-for-612 (61.4%) passing and another 816 yards and 10 scores on 196 rushes.
Mothershed marks the ninth wide receiver in the class as the Tigers rebuild that room almost entirely as well.
The 6-foot-4, 208-pound athlete spent the past two years at Troy where he earned a couple starts in 2024 and the full-time role this fall as a redshirt sophomore and compiled totals of 29 passes for 297 yards and a touchdown in 23 games for the Trojans.
Mothershed will reunite with former Pike Road (Montgomery, Ala.) teammate Malik Blocton, the edge rusher who transferred from home-state Auburn to LSU last week.
Strey is a former four-star prospect out of Paw Paw, Mich., in the 2025 recruiting cycle, who saw limited action during a redshirt season this fall.
The 6-foot-7, 305-pound right tackle appeared in four games for a total of 19 snaps on offensive and special teams, according to PFF.
Here’s the rundown of all new players heading to Baton Rouge thus far, as of Monday morning:
1. WR Jackson Harris, Hawaii
2. RB Raycine Guillory, Utah
3. TE Malachi Thomas, Pittsburgh
4. WR Eugene “Tre” Brown III, Old Dominion
5. S Ty Benefield, Boise State
6. DT Stephiylan Green, Clemson
7. RB Rod Gainey Jr., Charlotte
8. WR Jayce Brown, Kansas State
9. WR Eugene “Tre” Wilson III, Florida
10. P Hayden Craig, Florida
11. LS Mack Mulhern, Florida
12. K Scott Starzyk, Arkansas
13. DL Malik Blocton, Auburn
14. EDGE Jaylen Brown, South Carolina
15. OL Ja’Quan Sprinkle, North Carolina Central
16. OL JaKolby Jones, Copiah-Lincoln CC
17. EDGE Jordan Ross, Tennessee
18. WR Malik Elzy, Illinois
19. WR Josh Jackson, McNeese State (St. Augustine)
20. S Treylan James, Southern (Madison Prep)
21. C William Satterwhite (Tennessee)
22. WR Tyree Holloway (West Florida)
23. EDGE Achilles Woods (South Alabama)
24. QB Landen Clark (Elon)
25. WR Winston Watkins Jr. (Ole Miss)
26. OL Darrin Strey (Kentucky)
27. WR Roman Mothershed (Troy)
28. QB Sam Leavitt (Arizona State)