LSU football opened the season in dominant fashion on Saturday night, throttling Clemson 51-10. Lane Kiffin's first impression as LSU's head coach was a good one.
But Kiffin wasn't the only one who made a strong first impression on Saturday. LSU is a transfer-heavy roster, and a handful of transfer additions made their LSU debut in Week 1. LSU's No. 1-ranked transfer portal class lived up to the hype.
On offense, quarterback Sam Leavitt was electric, racking up over 300 total yards and three touchdowns. Transfer RB Dilin Jones surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the ground and found the end zone twice. Transfer wideout Winston Watkins had 110 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, transfer defensive end Jordan Ross had a career night, which included a pick-six
to put LSU up two scores. Transfer safety Ty Benefield was active all night, too.
Here's how PFF graded every LSU football transfer in their Tiger debuts.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt: 90.3
Sam Leavitt was the headline piece of LSU's transfer class. Portal quarterbacks were in high demand and LSU spent a lot of money to land one of the best. Leavitt put to rest any concerns about an injury that caused him to miss most of the spring practice.
Leavitt threw for 230 yards and ran for 113. After an interception on the first drive, Leavitt was nearly flawless. Leavitt's 90.3 PFF grade was the fourth-best on LSU's roster in Week 1.
Defensive end Jordan Ross: 94.0
Ross, a transfer defensive end from Tennessee, was LSU's top-graded player. His 94.0 defensive grade ranked No. 8 among all FBS defensive ends in Week 1. Ross notched an interception and a sack, racking up four pressures and three stops. Ross was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and showed flashes at Tennessee, but he put it all together on Saturday night.
Linebacker TJ Dottery: 91.3
TJ Dottery was the second-best-graded LSU Tiger vs Clemson, earning a 91.3 defensive grade. That marked ranked No. 13 among FBS linebackers in Week 1.
Dottery was active rushing the passer and stopping the run. The Ole Miss transfer racked up five pressures and made three stops. He broke up a pass, too.
Defensive end Princewill Umanmielen: 82.7
Princewill Umanmielen impressed in his LSU debut, earning an 82.7 PFF defensive grade. His pass rush grade of 91.0 was even better. Umanmielen was ranked as one of the top defenders in the transfer portal, and LSU got its money's worth on Saturday night. Umanmielen is a difference maker.
Safety Ty Benefield: 76.9
Few LSU debuts were as anticipated as Ty Benefield's in Week 1. The Boise State transfer generated hype all offseason long and delivered on those expectations. Benefield posted a PFF defensive grade of 76.9 and was active all night. Benefield recorded two stops and broke up a pass.
Wide receiver Winston Watkins: 73.7
Watkins was LSU's most productive wide receiver on Saturday night. The Ole Miss transfer was familiar with the Kiffin / Weis scheme thanks to his time in Oxford. Watkins caught seven passes for 110 yards and a touchdown. He added 14 yards on the ground, too. The highlight of Watkins' night was a 32-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Running back Dilin Jones: 69.5
Running back Dilin Jones earned LSU's starting RB job after transferring from Wisconsin. He earned rave reviews throughout the offseason, and we saw why in Week 1. Jones carried the ball 23 times for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
Left tackle Jordan Seaton: 62.0
Jordan Seaton posted a 62.0 PFF grade in Week 1, but I don't think that captures how well he played. Seaton was key piece of LSU's offensive line rebuild. He has the talent to be a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, and that talent was on display vs. Clemson. In 37 pass-blocking snaps, Seaton allowed two pressures. In the run game, Seaton did a good job not letting Clemson defenders set the edge.
Right guard Aliou Bah: 59.7
In a similar case to Seaton, I think Bah played better than the 59.7 grade suggests. Bah got push in the run game and created some textbook double teams with LSU center Braelin Moore. LSU has a good player at right guard.
The rest of the transfer wide receivers
Defensive tackles Malik Blocton and Stephiylan Green
Blocton and Green were both key members of LSU's defensive line rotation on Saturday night. LSU will count on both to provide veteran reps this year given the youth of the group.
Quarterbacks Landen Clark and Husan Longstreet
Both of LSU's backup quarterbacks, both of whom are transfers, entered the game, too. Both posted decent PFF grades in limited action.
LSU's offensive line depth
LSU did a good job building offensive line depth through its transfer portal class. Here's how the rest of the transfer OL fared, according to PFF.
LSU football transfers PFF grades vs Clemson | Complete list
Here's the complete list, including the transfers we didn't get to above.
This article originally appeared on LSU Wire: PFF grades for every LSU football transfer that played vs Clemson
