Column: LSU football spent $40 million on its injury-plagued 2026 roster. Was it worth it?

LSU football redshirt junior quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) rushes out of the pocket Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026, during LSU’s 35-6 win against Texas A&M in Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA.

As LSU football reaches the season’s midpoint, there’s still much focus on this year’s offseason.

If it wasn’t for historic moves, the team wouldn’t be where it is today, with defensive tackles scoring touchdowns, one of nine times in a single game.

When Lane Kiffin took over the Tigers’ program after the 2025 season, the dramatic switch put all of the attention on LSU, as it was Kiffin’s fourth SEC program of his career.

It wasn’t just about Kiffin putting on the headset, but everything he brought with him in a short period of time.

The majority of his coaching staff made the switch with him from Ole Miss to LSU, highlighted by running backs coach Kevin Smith and offensive coordinator Charlie Weis Jr.

As these coaches have made a huge impact on the team’s success, it takes a talented kind of player to execute the tactical play calls from the staff.

But in the modern day of college football, a talented player comes at a price — a hefty price.

That’s what really made Kiffin’s hire feel worth it: his transfer portal attack that brought over 40 new players to the team, with 19 true freshmen also adding to the roster.

While the month of December was supposed to be Kiffin’s greatest run in the playoffs with the Ole Miss Rebels, the highlight of his season turned out to be the recruiting run in January with the LSU Tigers.

Since he’s been coaching for over two and a half decades, Kiffin knows the ins and outs of recruiting some of the nation’s top players.

His well-known name, one of many on the coaching staff, is already a kickstart for potential recruits to show interest. Then there’s the factor of being able to play for a highly recognized SEC program, playing on one of the greatest stages in college football.

But the ever-changing world of college athletics now brings a major selling point to a recruit — a paycheck.

Now that players have the opportunity to receive NIL brand deals and paychecks from roster budgets, there are more advantages than ever to picking a program over another.

At LSU, the paychecks look different than anywhere around the nation.

Kiffin’s new and improved roster costs $40 million, as some of the highest-paid college players in the nation are now wearing purple and gold.

The expensive paychecks aren’t just earned from having a catchy nickname or family history in the program, but from the recruits and transfer portal additions that will make the most impact.

The only problem is that now, some of the highest-paid players are no longer on the field, but listed on the injury report, including tight end Trey’Dez Green and linebacker Whit Weeks.

Injuries are not what Kiffin and Tigers’ athletic director Verge Ausberry had in mind when pricing out the historic roster budget. It’s never a desired outcome, but now that the season is in full swing and doesn’t look the way fans were hoping in terms of player eligibility, it does raise a serious question.

Was the price tag worth it?

LSU isn’t by any means adapting to the modern-day era of college football, but is trailblazing the realm of NIL and player paychecks, while other programs will eventually have to adapt.

It drives the center of attention, a spotlight that Kiffin himself used to be in, to the roster and how its players get paid.

This is a major investment. One that has heavy expectations.

There’s really only one fair way to go about it. A player plays well; a player should get paid well.

That still doesn’t take away from the expectations of whether the investment was 100% worth it, and there are only seven more games left in the regular season to prove its worth.

I joined the Reveille to be able to write about LSU sports and be a part of student media. The sports culture at LSU is a large part of why I came here from out of state!

I hope to work for a multimedia sports entertainment out of college as a sports writer.