Despite the LSU Tigers’ failure to live up to College Football Playoff expectations in 2025, two of their players were still included among the Southeastern Conference’s representatives on ESPN’s list of the top 100 college football players for 2025.
ESPN’s ranking placed Tigers senior safety A. J. Haulcy at number 60. After stints at New Mexico and Houston, Haulcy arrived in Baton Rouge as a transfer portal success story. Despite a nagging injury that forced him to play linebacker towards the end of the season, he managed to accumulate 89 total tackles, three interceptions, and four pass breakups.
Senior defensive back Mansoor Delane ranked even higher in ESPN’s Top 100 list, coming in at number 27. Delane also had a successful time in the transfer portal, moving from Virginia Tech to LSU, where he made two interceptions, 11 pass breakups, and four forced fumbles. During the 2025 season, Delane switched between cornerback and safety, allowing just 10 completions for 119 yards and no touchdowns.
Brian Kelly’s dismissal as head coach was hastened by midseason defeats to Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, and Alabama as LSU finished 7-6 in 2025. In the Texas Bowl, the Tigers were defeated by Houston, 38–35, but in a contentious pursuit that is still making news, they persuaded Lane Kiffin to leave Ole Miss.
On September 5, Kiffin’s LSU club begins the 2026 season at home against Clemson, and on September 19, they face Kiffin’s former team, Ole Miss, in their SEC opener in Oxford.
