Princewill Umanmielen signs with LSU: Transfer portal's No. 1 edge rusher follows Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss
The LSU defense now boasts one of the nation's most disruptive pass rushers
By
Carter Bahns
•
1 min read
The top-ranked class in the 2026 college football transfer portal cycle got even stronger. Ole Miss edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen signed with LSU on Wednesday, CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz and Chris Hummer report. The addition gives first-year Tigers coach Lane Kiffin his second five-star pickup of the offseason.
Umanmielen is the No. 5 overall player and No. 1 edge rusher in the portal class, per 247Sports. He was the second-best available prospect on the transfer market after former Colorado offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, who is also in play for LSU after he took a visit to Baton Rouge. Kiffin will likely attempt to finalize his final transfer pickups before the university's Thursday deadline to add classes.
With his intraconference move, Umanmielen becomes the fourth player to follow Kiffin from Ole Miss to LSU after linebacker TJ Dottery, interior offensive lineman Devin Harper and wide receiver Winston Watkins. That continuity could help him hit the ground running at his new program and pick up where he left off after he led the Rebels in tackles for loss (13) and sacks (9) in 2025. Umanmielen also intercepted a pass and broke up another in his best campaign to date.
Kiffin's inaugural LSU defense continues to take shape with each transfer addition, and Umanmielen projects as the cornerstone of the unit. Safety Ty Benefield (via Boise State) and edge rusher Jordan Ross (via Tennessee) are among the other top newcomers who project as immediate contributors. While Kiffin will operate in 2026 with a much different defensive staff from the one he built at Ole Miss, he does have an improving track record on that side of the ball despite being known as an offensive guru.
This is Umanmielen's second transfer in as many years. He initially signed with Nebraska as a blue-chip recruit and spent two seasons in the Big Ten before heading south to Ole Miss. The Umanmielen bloodline has been fruitful for Kiffin over the last handful of years as Princely Umanmielen preceded his younger brother as a standout linebacker for the Rebels.
The latest five-star addition to LSU's transfer class bolsters a haul that was already head and shoulders above any other group in the country. The Tigers now have two incoming five-star prospects in Umanmielen and quarterback Sam Leavitt, giving them more than any other single program. Their 11 four-star pickups are also the most in the 2026 cycle.
