Clemson Opponent Preview: Week 1 LSU
By: Jason Priester June 29, 2026

With the beginning of fall camp at Clemson just a few weeks away, the start of the 2026 football season is inching ever so closer.

With that in mind, now is a good time to start diving into the opponents on the Tigers’ schedule.

2026 Schedule

  • Sept. 5: at LSU
  • Sept. 12: vs. Georgia Southern
  • Sept. 19: vs. North Carolina
  • Sept. 25 (Fri.): at Cal
  • Oct. 3: vs. Miami
  • Oct. 10: Open Date
  • Oct. 17: vs. Charleston Southern
  • Oct. 24: vs. Virginia Tech
  • Oct. 31: at Florida State
  • Nov. 7: at Syracuse
  • Nov. 14: vs. Georgia Tech
  • Nov. 20 (Fri.): at Duke
  • Nov. 28: vs. South Carolina

Week 1 LSU

We start with one of the biggest games on the slate, as Clemson will once again open against LSU, this time on the road in Baton Rouge and ESPN’s College GameDay will be on hand for the marquee matchup.

The Bayou Bengals bested Dabo Swinney’s Tigers 17-10 in Death Valley to open last season, a loss that took several weeks for Clemson to recover from. After the 7-6 campaign last year, all eyes will be on how the Tigers fare against another SEC foe. Clemson has not beaten an SEC team not named South Carolina since the 2023 bowl win over Kentucky.

The LSU team looks much different from what it did a season ago. Brian Kelly was fired midseason, with the polarizing Lane Kiffin hired in his place. And the coaching staff isn’t the only difference. LSU has close to 60 new faces on the roster, with Kiffin bringing in more than 40 transfers, which resulted in the top portal class in the country.

Arguably, the biggest portal addition was quarterback Sam Leavitt, who comes over from Arizona State. Leavitt missed a lot of his first spring at LSU while recovering from a foot injury suffered late last season. Despite the injury, he was seen as one of the best quarterbacks in the portal.

LSU also brought in one of the best offensive linemen in the portal, Jordan Seaton, to protect Leavitt’s blind side, plus wide receiver Eugene Wilson III from Florida State. Running backs Harlem Berry and Caden Durham both return, giving Kiffin a solid duo of experienced backs to pace the rushing attack. Dillin Jones, a former four-star back, was also brought in through the portal after spending his first two seasons at Wisconsin to provide some quality depth.

Another dangerous weapon at Leavitt’s disposal is tight end Trey’Dez Green. The 6-foot-7 target is a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.

On the other side of the ball, Blake Baker’s unit features a mix of big portal additions, as well as some standouts who are returning from last year’s unit that ranked No. 27 nationally in total defense.

Princewill Umanmielen, the top-rated edge rusher in the portal, comes with Kiffin from Ole Miss. Umanmielen’s nine sacks tied for third in the SEC last season. Former Clemson defensive tackle Stephiylan Green was also brought in to bolster a really good defensive front. Jordan Ross and Malik Blocton were also portal additions.

LSU also signed three of the best defensive linemen in the 2026 recruiting class. Five-star Lamar Brown and four-stars Richard Anderson and Deuce Geralds could have impacts.

Linebacker TJ Dottery also followed Kiffin from Ole Miss. He led the SEC with 98 tackles in 2025. Dottery began his career at Clemson as TJ Dudley before being dismissed from the team in the summer of 2023 and changing his name. His departure from Ole Miss late in the portal cycle is what kicked off the poaching of Luke Ferrelli from the Tigers’ roster.

Safety Ty Benefield also comes over from Boise State, and after logging more than 100 tackles last season, he is expected to make an immediate impact in the LSU secondary. Linebacker Whit Weeks and cornerback DJ Pickett return from last year’s team.

Grant Chadwick, one of the SEC’s best punters, is also back, while placekicker Scott Starzyk transferred in from Arkansas to take over for Damian Ramos, who graduated with numerous LSU records.

Last season, both Clemson and LSU were ranked inside the Top 5 heading into the season. That will not be the case this season. LSU might very well end up being a preseason Top 10 team, but the Tigers won’t be sniffing a ranking that high.

However, that doesn’t change the fact that the orange-clad faithful will be putting a lot of stock into how this one plays out. It is being viewed as a gauge for exactly where Swinney’s team stands after an extremely disappointing 2025 campaign.

LSU is currently an 11.5-point favorite.