Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
By Hunt Palmer
While a bowl announcement looms hours away, all LSU eyes are on 2026.
The Tigers still have a game to play. They will. But the significance of bowl games has taken a nosedive in the last decade.
Since Lane Kiffin’s arrival a week ago, the program and fan base have gotten a jolt from a star-studded signing class and some coaching announcements. Attention now turns to the 2026 roster. The transfer portal opens in just less than a month. LSU will be extremely active. The other part of the equation is the current roster and who sticks around.
Some players will hop into the transfer portal. Some will set aside remaining eligibility and declare for the NFL Draft. That’s where today’s focus is. Let’s examine three players with big decisions to make.
BRAELIN MOORE, C
Moore came over from Virginia Tech and became LSU’s best offensive lineman. He started 11 games though he had to leave the Louisiana Tech game after one snap and the Western Kentucky game after three. On a poor offensive line, he was the bright spot. He graded third best on the entire offense according to Pro Football Focus. His 80.4 pass protection grade was excellent.
This season was Moore’s fourth in college. He redshirted as a freshman in Blacksburg and has been a three-year starter subsequently. That’s a lot of college football. In a by-gone era, Moore would be a virtual lock to leave. He’s never going to be 6-foot-5, and his tape is what it is. If he’s going to be an NFL player, it’s time to try to make that happen. However, Moore is no lock to make an NFL roster, and with revenue sharing and NIL opportunities, college is more lucrative for some.
Moore would be a huge retention for LSU in the middle of what’s going to be a retooled offensive line. My prediction, though, is that he’s played his last college game.
WHIT WEEKS, LB
Weeks was primed for an All-American junior season, and he spent most of it in the training room. He only played 40 snaps four times in 11 games.
Targeting cost him the Florida game, and the broken ankle took away the second half of the season. There’s no question Weeks’s draft stock dipped this fall. His attitude through it all was extremely impressive. “That’s life” he told us prior to the Oklahoma game. If he goes, Weeks will be selected and would have a very good chance to make an NFL roster. If he stays, it’s a major win for Kiffin.
Weeks’s situation is interesting. While older brother West is moving on, younger brother Zach could be moving into a prominent role. He’s got a very tight bond with Blake Baker who is sticking around for another season. Now, his girlfriend’s dad is coaching him.
That’s a sentence I wasn’t planning on typing.
As of August, I would have put Weeks’s chances of staying at almost zero. At this point, it feels like a real possibility.
AARON ANDERSON, WR
Anderson, like Weeks, just never got healthy this fall. After multiple maladies plagued him in early September, he took the pads off at halftime in Oxford. He never played 40 offensive snaps in a game and finished the year with 33 catches and no scores.
In 2024, he proved himself as a big time SEC wide receiver. There is tape out there that will attract NFL scouts. He’s quick, shifty and has really good hands. He also showed some breakaway speed in College Station on a slant and against Oklahoma on a kickoff return.
Anderson is like Moore in that college could be a safer financial route than the NFL in 2026. But he’s been in school for four years and battled a lot of injuries. It may just be time.
Anderson would be a great piece in a Kiffin offense. He’s a crisp route runner and loves to operate in space. LSU will undoubtedly present Anderson with an opportunity to return. It’ll be up to the former Karr Cougar to decide if a fifth year is in the cards.
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