Michael Brockers knows what LSU fans expect from their teams. The former Tigers defensive lineman was part of the 2011 LSU team that went undefeated through the regular season and reached the BCS National Championship Game. More than a decade later, he sees another LSU roster with enough talent to make a serious run. But Brockers believes talent alone will not settle the biggest question facing Lane Kiffin’s new team.

“You know, we go out there and give you the whole house in the kitchen sink,” Brockers said on the August 7 Jim Rome Show. “Man, you gotta. We need to see it change this year, and for most LSU fans it’s championship or bust. I mean, I’m gonna be honest with you. At this point, we feel like we got everything: got the quarterback, got the athletes; we just need the leadership and the guys going in the right direction.”

That pressure is understandable after what happened last season. LSU finished 7-6 overall and 3-5 in SEC play. The Tigers began the year ranked No. 9 nationally and climbed as high as No. 3, but the season fell apart after the September loss to Ole Miss. LSU eventually lost five of its final eight regular-season games. Houston then beat the Tigers 38-35 in the Texas Bowl.

The collapse also ended Brian Kelly’s tenure midway through the season. LSU moved quickly and hired Kiffin, who had just taken Ole Miss to an 11-1 regular season. The Tigers gave Kiffin a seven-year deal worth a reported $91 million, making the expectations around the new head coach impossible to miss. LSU’s official announcement cited Kiffin’s 55 wins over six seasons at Ole Miss and his four double-digit-win seasons as major reasons for the hire.

Kiffin attacked the transfer portal aggressively. LSU brought in 40 transfers and landed three of the top five players in the portal. The group included quarterback Sam Leavitt, offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, and edge rusher Princewill Umanmielen. It was not a normal roster refresh. LSU effectively rebuilt major parts of the team in one offseason.

Leavitt is the centerpiece. He comes off a standout career at Arizona State, passing for 4,513 yards and 34 touchdowns. His 2025 season was interrupted by injury, but even then, he produced 1,628 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, and only three interceptions in seven starts. He also rushed for 306 yards and five touchdowns. So, that ‘natty or bust’ challenge is particularly important because of him. More importantly, LSU has little room for a slow start.

The Tigers open the 2026 season against Clemson on September 5. They then face Texas, Alabama, Texas A&M, Ole Miss, and other SEC opponents during a schedule that offers almost no hiding place. The former Tiger knows the difference. His 2011 LSU team went 13-1, won the SEC championship, and entered the national championship game against Alabama with a perfect regular-season record.

That team had stars everywhere, but it also had veteran leadership from players such as Brockers, Morris Claiborne, Tyrann Mathieu, and others.
Now he wants to see that same collective direction from an entirely different roster.