By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
Welcome to College Football, and the NCAA Transfer Portal, Bill Belichick.
LSU coach Lane Kiffin, a veteran of 17 years in the college ranks and an expert on the portal since it began in 2021, just pulled a fast one on Belichick, the former NFL coaching legend with a record six Super Bowl titles at New England. He just finished his first season as North Carolina’s coach.
Kiffin and his coaching staff just got No. 23-ranked portal offensive tackle Sean Thompkins of Baylor to flip his Jan. 6 commitment to Belichick and the Tar Heels to LSU on Friday after a visit on Thursday, according to On3.com. This only enhances Kiffin’s portal class of 2026, which has been ranked No. 1 in the nation by 247sports.com for several days.
BREAKING: Baylor transfer IOL Sean Thompkins has flipped his commitment from North Carolina to LSU, @PeteNakos and @Hayesfawcett3 reports🐯https://t.co/ASFtvoTnsg pic.twitter.com/lukdeBGWrd
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) January 16, 2026
Thompkins (6-foot-5, 300 pounds) is the No. 272 overall prospect in the portal and plays a position of strong need by the Tigers and Kiffin. LSU’s offensive line was a major part of the Tigers having one of the worst running games in the country over the last two seasons. And most of the 2025 line has left LSU via the portal.
Thompkins played 10 games at Baylor last season in his redshirt sophomore season and started the last five at left tackle, logging 460 snaps. He will have two seasons of eligibility at LSU. Thompkins was red-shirted in 2023 and played very sparingly in 2024 as well.
A three-star prospect in 2023, Thompkins was the No. 50 guard/center in the nation out of Newton High in Covington, Georgia, and the No. 61 player in the state. He is LSU’s fifth offensive linemen commitment or signee to Kiffin’s 2026 portal class and No. 32 overall.
LSU PORTAL COMMITS/SIGNEES (32) – No. 1 By 247Sports.com, No. 19 By On3*:
No. 1 Quarterback Sam Leavitt of Arizona State
No. 2 Safety Ty Benefield of Boise State
No. 6 Quarterback Husan Longstreet of USC
No. 7 Edge Jordan Ross of Tennessee
No. 11 Defensive Lineman Stephiylan Green of Clemson
No. 12 Wide Receiver Eugene “Tre” Wilson III of Florida
No. 13 Defensive Lineman Malik Blocton of Auburn
No. 16 Interior Offensive Lineman William Satterwhite of Tennessee
No. 23 Offensive Tackle Sean Thompkins, Baylor
No. 26 Wide Receiver Jayce Brown of Kansas State
No. 27 Receiver Winston Watkins of Ole Miss
No. 30 Wide Receiver Tre Brown III of Old Dominion
No. 30 Offensive Tackle Darrin Strey of Kentucky
No. 39 Tight End Malachi Thomas of Pittsburgh
No. 40 Wide Receiver Jackson Harris of Hawaii
No. 49 Interior Offensive Lineman Ja’Quan Sprinkle of North Carolina Central
No. 56 Quarterback Landen Clark of Elon
No. 82 Edge Jaylen Brown of South Carolina
No. 84 Running Back Raycine Guillory of Utah
No. 104 Running Back Rod Gainey Jr. of Charlotte
No. 124 Defensive Lineman Achilles Woods of South Alabama
No. 136 Wide Receiver Malik Elzy of Illinois
No. 154 Wide Receiver Tyree Holloway of West Florida
No. 205 Wide Receiver Josh Jackson of McNeese
No. 206 Wide Receiver Roman Mothershed of Troy
Unranked Offensive Lineman Ja’Mard Jones of Nicholls State
Unranked Tight End Zach Grace of Oregon
Unranked Running Back Dilin Jones of Wisconsin
Unranked Safety Treylan James of Southern
Unranked Punter Hayden Craig of Florida
Unranked Long Snapper Mack Mulhern of Florida
Unranked Kicker Scott Starzyk of Arkansas
*On3’s Team Transfer Portal Ranking Index utilizes the On3 (P)erformance score to measure a team’s production during the transfer process, compared relative against its overall roster, not just portal additions. This proprietary algorithm determines if a school has improved its overall team talent, stayed the same, or declined in talent during the transfer window.
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