Lane Kiffin has made it a habit of zigging when the entirety of college football expects him to zag. After taking over the reins at LSU despite having a playoff berth at Ole Miss, he is up for another shocking move. Despite having top QBs in the portal, he might pull off his own Trinidad Chambliss with a $1.6 million QB.

He got Trinidad Chambliss from Ferris State in the portal, who came in from Division II to I. He played and shone in the most pressured conference, the SEC. After Austin Simmons’s season ended with an ankle injury, Chambliss started as QB1 and took the Rebels to the playoff quarterfinals. Now, NC State CJ Bailey can become another Chambliss for Kiffin taking LSU to the playoffs next season.

Despite analysts like On3’s Pete Nakos constantly putting LSU Tigers in the final list of recruiting big-time players like Arizona State QB Sam Leavitt and Florida Gator DJ Lagway, it’s only Kiffin who can do the exact opposite of what everyone expects him to do and go after CJ Bailey if he enters the portal.

He has a tendency to hire players who don’t have major hype but can become impactful contributors on the team. One major example of this is Virginia Tech’s tight end DaeQuan Wright, who didn’t come with much hype but became a major name after transferring to Ole Miss, turning heads with his exceptional showing against Oklahoma and Arkansas in the 2024 season.

Lane Kiffin knows what caliber of players he holds that can turn into his team’s advantage. CJ Bailey can be his next breakout star worth $1.6 billion if things go Kiffin’s way, as this guy holds a lot of talent. This season, he threw for 3,105 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions on a 68.8 percent completion rate while adding 215 rushing yards and six scores on the ground.

One of the best moments of Bailey’s season arrived against Georgia Tech when he escaped the pocket, avoiding pressure near midfield, and fired a strike to a wide-open Teddy Hoffmann in the late third quarter, who turned it into a 55-yard touchdown. That play pushed NC State ahead by 15 points and sealed the season’s biggest win for them. So, it’s pretty evident why Kiffin might go after him.

For now, Bailey is not in the portal and will confirm his final move after the bowl game, but teams are already pushing for him. Even Miami is pretty much in the mix after Carson Beck’s NFL move. But what intensifies the chances of his move to LSU is Lane Kiffin’s team’s major staff addition from NC State.

Lane Kiffin’s staff makes a major staff addition

Lane Kiffin continues to reshape his LSU staff since taking over the reins. First, he brought his Ole Miss staff: Charlie Weis Jr. as OC, George McDonald as wide receiver coach, Joe Cox as TE coach, Dane Stevens as QB coach, and Sawyer Jordan as inside WR coach.

Now, he is bringing in key pieces to make sure his team works efficiently behind the scenes. His move? Bringing in NC State Wolfpack Director of Player Personnel Austin Shelton for a front office role.

Shelton will be a major addition to general manager Billy Glasscock’s staff. Even though his exact role is not decided yet, it will mostly be in player development. What makes him a perfect fit for LSU is his ties with Glasscock, having worked together at NC State and Texas.

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With that, his extensive career adds another layer to it. As Shelton began his career with Old Dominion in 2018 as a senior offensive analyst, he transitioned quickly to director of football recruiting. This means he can help Lane Kiffin in recruiting, too.

After that, he joined NC State from 2020 to 2022 as Assistant Director of Player Personnel on Defense and later held the same position at Texas. His ties to NC State can help them to grab Wolfpack transfer QB CJ Bailey, as Shelton already developed a strong relationship with him and knows what he is capable of. With all these major additions, let’s wait and see how things turn out for Kiffin and LSU next season.