The Lane Kiffin charm at LSU has worked wonders for its recruiting. The Tigers have been successful in bringing in some of the most elite players in the country. However, 4-star WR and the 5 best prospect in Illinois, Quentin Burrell, seems to be slipping away from Kiffin’s hands, and the reason might have less to do with NIL or depth charts and more to do with something far more personal.

Burrell has a busy spring ahead of him, as he plans to visit his Top 10 schools before he makes his final decision. Michigan, one of the frontrunners for the WR, has secured a visit for April 2, a week before he arrives at Baton Rouge. There is a family angle, as he stands a chance to reunite with his sister, Kali, at Ann Arbor, who plays soccer for Michigan.

Burrell already has a good bond with WR coach Micah Simon, but plans to examine how Michigan football actually plays out on the gridiron, especially with a brand new staff led by Kyle Whittingham.

“I’ve got to figure out who these other people are,” he told The Wolverine. “I’ve got to take a little bit more time, and investigate that, see the differences – if it’s better, if it’s worse. …[It’s more of how they conduct practice, how they conduct weight training. If they’re keeping the same staff with that, and the nutritionist, then I know all of that. But more of the practice, the meeting style, how the coach interacts, how the coordinator interacts, how everything trickles down.”

Though Burrell is yet to familiarize himself with the new system at Michigan, the school has always been a strong favorite. Rivals has already logged the Wolverines as the second-favorite team to land him, after Notre Dame. LSU got in the mix very late for Burrell, extending an offer to him only in January 2026. Michigan, on the other hand, was his very first P4 offer, and already gained a year-long head start over the Tigers. The Wolverines got a nice reward for their early push, too. Burrell was phenomenal this year.

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He recorded 67 catches for 1,139 yards and 16 touchdowns, bringing his career total to 142 receptions, 2,396 yards, and 34 touchdowns. No wonder 40 schools are in the mix for the talented WR. LSU also has to fight with Miami, Indiana, Oklahoma, and even Vanderbilt for Quentin Burrell. However, getting him on board will be a tall task for LSU, especially in light of the program missing out on some key recruits.

Lane Kiffin is losing speed in the 2027 recruiting cycle

The Tigers have signed one of the best recruiting classes this year, which is clear proof of the Lane Kiffin effect. However, LSU has become sluggish in the 2027 cycle. As of now, Kiffin only has the pledges of 4-star prospects Peyton Houston and Jaiden Bryant. Schools like Syracuse, Boston College, and NC State sit higher than LSU in the 2027 cycle, while the latter is unranked. Somehow, Kiffin is losing the charge when it comes to wide receivers.

LSU was just handed a tough card by Quentin Hale, who committed to USC. Before this, they also lost the commitment of Easton Royal, the No. 1 WR of the 2027 cycle, to Texas. Maybe these losses have to do with the fact that LSU’s WR room is rolling out a whole new look in 2026. All of the top receivers left the program, which forced Kiffin to replenish it with transfers and rely on the incoming freshmen. LSU does have a good offensive coordinator in Charlie Weis Jr., but the LSU name doesn’t seem to be making the required impact.

LSU needs a top WR from the 2027 class. Considering they’ve already lost the commitments of the best, securing Quentin Burrell has become paramount for Lane Kiffin and Co. His development shows that he can become a phenomenal player for the Tigers, and the electric offense that is signature to Kiffin. We’ll have to wait and see if he’s able to lure the WR away from Michigan.