Two LSU Stars Crack ESPN's Top 25 College Football Players Rankings

ESPN released its rankings of the Top 25 college football players through the first half of the 2026 season, and two LSU standouts made the list.

Defensive end Princewill Umanmielen came in at No. 8, while offensive tackle Jordan Seaton landed at No. 18.

Here's what ESPN had to say about both players:

quote:

---

8. Princewill Umanmielen
DE, LSU, senior
2026 notable stats: 15 solo tackles, 8 sacks, 11 TFLs
2026 preseason ranking: 80

Umanmielen followed coach Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss to LSU and has been a valuable addition for a defensive front needing a premier pass rusher. He had two sacks in the season opener against Clemson and then followed with three the next week against Louisiana Tech. The 6-4, 256-pound Umanmielen is tied for second nationally in sacks and tied for third in tackles for loss. He's well on pace to surpass last year's sacks (nine) and tackles for loss totals at Ole Miss (13), which ranked third and eighth in the SEC, respectively. -- Adam Rittenberg


18. Jordan Seaton
OT, LSU, junior
2026 notable stat: 0 sacks allowed
2026 preseason ranking: 34

The former five-star, top-20 prospect from IMG Academy left Colorado after a brilliant season in which he allowed just three pressures and no sacks in nine games. He has been every bit as good in the SEC. He has had five perfect games, with no blown blocks in seven starts, and he has been a godsend for an offense with almost exclusively new pieces and a team that hasn't had a stable offensive line in quite a while. -- Bill Connelly

---