Lane Kiffin plotting LSU transfer portal raid for Ole Miss QB as Rebels braced for more ‘fireworks’

Lane Kiffin is in need of a quarterback at LSU and may turn to a man that he benched in his former role.

The Tigers head coach quit Ole Miss on the brink of the College Football Playoff in order to take up the high-profile post in Louisiana.

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Several of his assistants followed him, but have returned to assist the Rebels in a playoff run that continued with a 39-34 win over Georgia.

No. 10 Miami are up next, but Kiffin’s priority is with his new team and fixing the most important position in sports.

Garrett Nussmeier is heading for the NFL Draft after a season, but sophomore Michael Van Buren Jr. put in the best performance of his career in a Texas Bowl defeat to the Houston Cougars in December.

LSU linked with transfer portal QBs

Kiffin is unlikely to throw all his eggs in one basket and ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Friday that former Cincinnati quarterback Brendan Sorsby will visit LSU and Texas Tech.

Sorsby is considered the No. 1 QB in the transfer portal with 2,800 passing yards, 580 rushing yards and 36 total touchdowns in 2025.

Should the price prove too high, Ole Miss sophomore Austin Simmons provides another intriguing option.

The passer begun 20215 as Kiffin’s starter before an ankle injury opened the door for Trinidad Chambliss to take over and lead the national championship charge.

Simmons has two years of eligibility remaining and threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns in a 63-7 demolition of Georgia State before going down a week later.

He will remain with Ole Miss through the CFP semifinal with Miami on January 8 and has also been linked with Missouri.

Ole Miss could also be in QB need next season with Chambliss’ waiver for a sixth-year of eligibility still pending having been submitted in November.

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Kiffin’s exit continues to dominate headlines after threatening to derail a sensational season for the Rebels — iconic coach Nick Saban wants the entire calendar overhauled to avoid a repeat.

The LSU coach claimed the players wanted him to stay on and lead the CFP charge despite his LSU move — a suggestion that was vehemently denied by locker room figures.

Senior defensive tackle Zxavian Harris called Kiffin’s decision a “slap in the face.”

After the former coach said he wanted to attend the win over Georgia, Harris fired back.

“He was just trying to steal our shine. That’s all he’s trying to do. That’s all he’s been trying to do, is steal our shine,” he said via ESPN.

“Like a slap and the backhand. He was trying to be a troll. We’re going to troll him. We got something for him.”

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Coordinators Charlie Weis Jr., Joe Cox, George McDonald, and Kevin Smith have all signed contracts to coach at LSU, but returned to Mississippi for the Sugar Bowl.

But now the portal has opened, the program fears losing them before the huge showdown with the Hurricanes.

“There are going to be some fireworks,” a source told ESPN. “We always knew this might be a possibility.”

Ole Miss’ playoff run has already earned Kiffin $500,000, with LSU footing the bill.

That will double if the Rebels go all the way.

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