By GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
Last week, a year anniversary hit on Dec. 4 that the LSU Nation would like to forget.
That was the day former LSU commitment Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 quarterback and No. 1 player in the country, signed with Michigan after decommitting from the Tigers the previous Nov. 21. He had been “committed” to LSU for nearly 11 months.
The flip completely flipped LSU and then-coach Brian Kelly’s approach to the NCAA Transfer Portal. With the extra $1.5-to-2 million a year of NIL money LSU had set aside for Underwood suddenly available and another $16 million or so for the entire roster, LSU dove head first into the portal for the first time since it began in 2021 and proceeded to sign the No. 1 class in the nation.
The class had its bright spots, like cornerback Mansoor Delane of Virginia Tech who was up for the Jim Thorpe Award Friday (6 p.m., ESPN), and safety A.J. Haulcy. But the team flopped from a No. 9 preseason ranking to a 7-5 finish as senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier was a shell of his 2024 self because of an abdomen injury. It hampered him most of the season as did a porous, youthful offensive line.
Kelly got fired. Offensive genius and quarterback guru Lane Kiffin, formerly of Ole Miss where he became the Master of the Portal, is now LSU’s coach. And he may target Underwood should he enter the portal.
Underwood (6-foot-4, 228 pounds) is a dual-threat quarterback who rushed for 323 yards on 74 carries with five touchdowns in 2025. LSU did not have a running QB even when Nussmeier was healthy in 2024. Underwood completed 179 of 293 passes for 2,229 yards and only nine touchdowns as a true freshman with six interceptions to finish 80th in the nation in passing efficiency. That was for an average Michigan offense that finished 56th in the country (398.9 yards a game) under now-fired coach Sherrone Moore, a former offensive line coach not known for progressive offense.
Moore was fired on Wednesday for having an inappropriate relationship with a coed student worker who was his assistant in the football office. He was jailed on Thursday in Ann Arbor for allegedly hitting the woman and arraigned on Friday on misdemeanor charges of home invasion and stalking before being released on $25,000 bond with an electronic tether.
In case, Underwood is interested in entering the NCAA Transfer Portal, former LSU great Tyrann Mathieu had an idea for his new school.
Come home son @BryceUnderwoo16
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) December 10, 2025
We are waiting & will accept you with open arms. FOREVER LSU
No. 18 Michigan finished the 2025 regular season at 9-3 and will play No. 13 Texas (9-3) in the Citrus Bowl on Dec. 31 in Orlando, Florida.
The Wolverines offense struggled at times during the season with Underwood, who finished 86th in the nation in passing yards per game at 185.8 over 12 games. Nussmeier was better than that in nine games while struggling with the painful abdomen injury. He finished 62nd in the nation in passing yards per game at 214.1 and better than Underwood in passing efficiency as well at No. 74 with a 133.8 mark.
There are more experienced quarterback potential choices out there for Kiffin than Underwood. And one possibility has already entered the portal. That is Arizona State dual-threat sophomore Sam Leavitt (6-2, 205), who finished No. 23 in the nation in efficiency in 2024 for the 11-3 Big 12 champion Sun Devils as a freshman. He completed 216 of 350 passes for 2,885 yards and 24 TDs with six interceptions and rushed 110 times for 443 yards and five touchdowns.
Leavitt played in only seven games in the 2025 season because of a foot injury. He completed 145 of 239 passes for 1,628 yards and 10 TDs with 300 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 73 attempts.
Another possibility is the Division II transfer quarterback Kiffin helped mold into one of the best in the SEC this season. Senior Trinidad Chambliss (6-0, 200) is No. 17 in the nation in efficiency at the moment at 157.6 on 218-of-333 passing for 3,016 yards and 18 touchdowns with only three interceptions. He has rushed 118 times for 470 yards and six touchdowns. He threw for 2,901 yards and 26 TDs and rushed for 1,019 and 25 TDs last season in leading Ferris State of Grand Rapids, Michigan, to the national title last year.
For a closer look at Chambliss, watch No. 6 Ole Miss (11-1) in the College Football Playoff against No. 11 Tulane (11-2) a week from Saturday in Oxford (2:15 p.m., TNT). Tiger Rag will be there.
Chambliss is petitioning for another senior year of eligibility and may be hearing back on that soon. Should he enter the portal, he will likely consider returning to Kiffin, who has brought virtually his entire offensive staff with him to LSU.
While coaching Ole Miss up at the moment for the playoffs, 5 new, multi-tasking LSU assistant coaches have gotten their new contracts approved.https://t.co/VKF46pWibq
— Glenn Guilbeau (@SportBeatTweet) December 12, 2025
LSU also may be interested in South Carolina sophomore quarterback LaNorris Sellers (6-3, 245), should he enter the portal. Sellers finished No. 57 in passing efficiency in 2025 at 139.8 on 178-of-293 passing for 2,437 yards and 13 TDs with eight interceptions. He rushed 149 times for 270 yards and five TDs.
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