Death Valley Voice

Not if you want to win championships. There are not enough quality players exclusively in LA to build an entire roster. Secondly, LSU doesn't control the interest of these recruits. They have priorities (you can list them if you want) that don't align with an objective to have a LA-Centric roster.

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That's the thing that is missing at LSU these days. Players don't want to play for LSU anymore.....they simply want to play for the team that offers them the most money. They in general aren't even interested in winning championships...it is all about the bag this year, and next year they will look for a bigger bag. The NCAA allowing players to transfer without sitting out 1 year has screwed up college football maybe irreparably. Change that one rule, and this mess starts to clean itself up.
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Saying the players don't want to play for LSU anymore is not accurate unless you also say they don't want to play for any school that is not offering the most money. Granted, most of them are looking for the money and that seems to be proving out with some of these portal guys making multiple visits. Also, I disagree that they don't care about championships. I believe every kid that has competed, trained and got to this level has an innate desire to win.
But I think as all agree the transfer portal and NIL payments to players need more regulation to stop all the sheninigans going on now.

Not sure where this information is coming from and certainly a lot of different comments regarding the brother's negotiation tactics. However, I have not seen any real confirmed reports from news outlets regarding the details around Leavitt's recruitment (or whatever we want to call it). What I can glean from what has transpired is that he less interested in where he plays than what's in it for him. Don't blame the kid for wanting to optimize his opportunity but he also is jeopardizing his long-term opportunity for a one-year pay day. If I had to make a decision, I would pull back on him and look for a couple serviceable QB's that can succeed in our offensive system.

OL's are beginning to trickle in. Maybe not the big names we were hoping for but we go to trust in the coaches and the game plan that will allow these guys to succeed.

We might not share the same opinion as Kiffin, but I like this strategy. I believe a QB with experience and great skills, though not highly ranked, can contribute with the receivers and I hope RB's to support him on offense, backed by a great OC and defense. It is not our money, but I think we use the money we save on getting this QB and go get that offensive line we badly need at this point.

Lots of WR visits both already competed and more coming over the next 7-10 days, it is interesting how the coaches communicate to the earlier visitors to hold off committing while they complete all the other visits. I hope the more targeted WR's are coming in first so we don't lose them. I think some of these guys want to solidify their position and NIL deal as soon as possible. As a comparison, look at our strategy for QB, either we are bringing them in based on priority or we're having trouble lining up visits because we seem to be doing those visits one at a time.

And I believe that was a great decision. No single college player, not even a QB, is worth that much. Some might say differently thinking he would be the missing piece, but I believe if LSU were really that close, we would not have lost 6 games. That tells me we need more blue-collar hands in the dirt players than we do one blue chip QB. I think Miami is a good example. Their QB was a UGA reject and he didn't exactly light it up this year, but all those violent players, together playing within a system, got it done.

I agree that this is not a one-year turnaround. It would be foolish for LSU to over-spend on every "top tier" NIL seeker especially since there are so many holes to fill both starters and reliable back-ups. There seems to be a belief that it's easier to hold on to players after you get them than trying to buy them now, so prioritize needs for 2026 and finish it out for 2027. If we go 9-3 next year, that will be a significant improvement and a base from which we can go all in in 2027.

Agree. Same goes for any school that is competing with us for any player. Doesn't matter that we have the NIL funds, we should consider the implications of overpaying for a QB or any player. History shows that the best QB does not guarantee a national championship. Quite the opposite, LSU can pick up a good QB (or left tackle) who contributes to the team's success because he excels within a system and not IS the system.

Yeah, I think that "holding" claim is worth a grain of salt. If its correct that the school has 3 days to get his paperwork in and the portal officially opened yesterday, then today is day 2. I believe the school is within its prerogative to wait the full 3 days to see if they want to have discussions with the player or let him go. So, Curne can quit complaining until tomorrow.

I think you make a good point. After watching every playoff game, I realized that the DL's on all of them had very effective pass rush and run stopping capabilities especially compared to LSU. The consideration to me is what our defensive scheme expected our DL to do versus the others. I believe the defense works together in that some players' roles cause other players to do their job; therefore, the entire defense performs as one unit. Having said all that stuff, I just loved the aggressiveness of these playoff teams' defensive line.