Three college football storylines that will focus on LSU coach Lane Kiffin’s position this offseason

We have reached what is, perhaps, the college football stadium.

This is partly due to the time between the end of the last season and the start of the next season being almost the same and also because nothing is happening right now.

The spring games for most if not all teams are over and the official visits for recruits won’t begin until after Memorial Day.

Well, even media days seem like they could be decades away.

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That doesn’t stop people from talking, though. And the big topic on everyone’s tongue is LSU coach Lane Kiffin.

Most of that he does for himself, but I have to say that I am also guilty of handling this man’s name when I probably could have controlled myself.

What can I say, you are an easy target.

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Today, I’m here to tell you that offseason talk doesn’t have to focus on the Lane Train.

There are plenty of engaging stories to get into this summer that won’t even involve the Bayou Bengals and their carnival barker of a head coach.

Let’s talk college football without Kiffin, shall we?

FIVE SEC TRAP GAMES IN 2026 THAT COULD CONTINUE THE COLLEGE PLAYOFF RACE, FROM LSU TO GEORGIA

Playoff expansion

Miami head coach Mario Cristobal and Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti pose with the trophy during a news conference before the College Football Playoff national championship game in Miami on Jan. 18, 2026. (Chris Carlson/AP)

If it weren’t for he-who-shall-not-be-named, I can almost guarantee the biggest talking point this offseason would be about whether the College Football Playoff should expand to 24 teams.

I’m sure you all know my thoughts on the matter by now, but I was surprised to see that the conversation on social media wasn’t as rampant as I thought it would be.

The argument seems to be divided into two parts: people who view the regular season as sacred and people who want more programs to get the apple.

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While it’s nice to want to get everyone into the postseason, it also sounds like a “participation award”, and if you want college football to be this egalitarian society, you’re probably new here and shouldn’t hold your breath.

College football has always been an aristocracy, and many fans like it that way.

Besides, the NIL did a lot more to level the playing field than an extended playoff would have done.

Look at my lovelies in Lubbock, Texas Tech.

You’re finally officially allowed to pay players, and all the Red Raiders have done is call on their bottomless pit of billions to start buying five-star rushers and offensive tackles.

The Arch Manning Redemption Tour

Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning throws a pass during the first half against the Texas A&M Aggies at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium on Nov. 28, 2025. (Photos by Scott Wachter/Imagn)

Last year it was supposed to be the inauguration of Arch Manning of the Texas Longhorns.

ARCH MANNING, TEXAS REMAINS TOP OF PRESEASON AP COLLEGE FOOTBALL POLL

Many fans thought Quinn Ewers should have started last season, and lamented that the prodigal nephew should have waited his turn in this fast-paced entertainment society we live in.

2025 arrived, but Manning took little time to form even a shell of what Texas fans expected him to look like.

By the end of the season, however, Arch had put together one hell of a second half of the season, culminating in a good performance against Michigan in their bowl game where the Longhorns signal caller posted a 99.2 QBR (they rate those bad boys on a scale of 100, by the way).

Now that we’ve seen what Manning can really do, the pressure will be on him to deliver in 2026.

The redshirt junior is already the presumptive Heisman favorite this season, and the Longhorns will be considered one of the teams with the shortest odds to win it all.

Will Manning’s 2026 be like the first half of 2025, when he looked like a deer in the headlights at times? Or will he look like a version of himself during the second half of last year, throwing darts all over the place and taking out top ten teams like Vanderbilt and Texas A&M?

WHICH TEAMS HAVE THE BEST ORGANIZATION CAPACITY DURING THE CALL GAME?

There is only one way to find out.

Changing of the Guard in Employment

Texas Tech Red Raiders’ Jacob Rodriguez celebrates with his wife Emma Rodriguez after the Big 12 Championship game against the BYU Cougars at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Dec. 6, 2025. (John E. Moore III/Getty Images)

I wrote about this a little earlier about UCLA’s dramatic jump into the top ten recruiting rankings, but the overall talent acquisition landscape is starting to look a lot different than it has in years past.

Besides UCLA, you have “new blood” Texas Tech knocking on the door in the top ten and boasting the highest class ratings in the country, with five stars in the fold.

More remarkable than who is in the top ten is who this is not the caseas traditional recruiting powers like Georgia, LSU, Alabama and Clemson all sit comfortably outside the top 20!

Hell, even Texas finds itself outside the top ten.

LSU and Alabama are fine, both already have at least five-star commitments in their class and their issue is more than quality, but Georgia may have some self-examination to do.

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The Dawgs have lost three blue-chip recruits in the past month, including five-star cornerback Donte Wright, who flipped to the Miami Hurricanes less than a week ago.

Georgia still has five stars in the fold and plenty of room to grow, but this is an awkward spot for them to be in this cycle.

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Does this represent a changing of the guard? A new era of hiring where non-traditional strengths will begin to rise and narrow the talent gap?

It’s too early to tell, but it’s something to keep an eye on as the recruiting season continues to wind down through the summer.