LSU coach Lane Kiffin hit the recruitment trail hard after being appointed as the Tigers’ coach last year, while trying to stop an exodus from Baton Rouge into the transfer portal. In addition to recruiting the No. 3 transfer portal class in the country, Kiffin also secured the No. 12-ranked recruiting class this year.
Kiffin, who signed a seven-year contract at LSU, is already looking ahead as he attempts to return the Tigers to the top of the recruitment pile in college football.
Lane Kiffin Faces Intense SEC Fight for Four-Star Commit
One of the players on LSU’s radar for the class of 2027 is former Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier’s younger brother, Colton Nussmeier, who was offered a scholarship by the SEC program last year, before his brother declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.
On Monday, “Rivals” reporter Sam Spiegelman revealed on X that Kiffin has a fight on his hands for the younger Nussmeier, with several SEC programs interested in the quarterback’s commitment.
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“NEW: After visiting Lexington, Kentucky, is a strong contender for 4-star QB Colton Nussmeier. More SEC programs have kept their foot on the gas with Nussmeier and are trending for visits this spring,” Spiegelman tweeted.
Nussmeier, who is a four-star prospect, is ranked as the No. 5 quarterback and No. 108 overall player in the country and has 21 offers from elite college football programs. In 8 games played for Marcus High School in Texas last year, he tallied 1,390 yards, resulting in 12 touchdowns and 1 interception.
The Kentucky Wildcats’ offensive coordinator Joe Sloan was integral in the younger Nussmeier’s recruitment when he was still at LSU during Garrett Nussmeier’s career in Baton Rouge.
After new coach Will Stein was appointed Kentucky’s coach, the Wildcats lost the commitment of class of 2027 quarterback prospect DJ Hunter in February, further heightening the program’s need for a stellar recruit at the position.
In an interview with Rivals last week, Nussmeier detailed his close relationship with Sloan that might sway his commitment. “We had a good relationship when he was at LSU, and when he moved, nothing really changed,” Nussmeier said. “We can have fluent conversations about anything, and I’ve known him for a while now.”
In addition, Nussmeier has visits scheduled with the Georgia Bulldogs and Arkansas Razorbacks. His father, Doug Nussmeier, coached with Georgia coach Kirby Smart in Tuscaloosa when they were Alabama Crimson Tide coaches between 2012 and 2013.
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Smart lost the commitment of QB prospect Jared Curtis to the Vanderbilt Commodores, further heightening the need for a QB commit in the Bulldogs’ class of 2027.
Should the Tigers lose the race for Colton Nussmeier, Kiffin has the added consolation of snagging the commitment of four-star quarterback Peyton Houston, who was LSU’s first commit in the class of 2027.
