Landen Clark’s journey from Radford to LSU wasn’t straightforward. He chose Baton Rouge, knowing the QB room would be reshaped quickly and without a clear hierarchy. Under coach Lane Kiffin, LSU applied pressure, and Clark embraced it. However, his reaction to the new teammates, Sam Leavitt and Husan Longstreet, wasn’t his own; it mirrored a QB trainer.

“When Landon got the call today, Landon literally said, ‘Coach, I’m the best one in the room. I want competition. I came to LSU because I know I’m going to compete,’” Baylin Trujillo told Carter Bryant on January 14. “That’s what I’m saying. He’s built differently.”

Trujillo went further, noting Landen Clark told LSU’s coaches during his visit that even if they signed Sam Leavitt, his response would not change. That’s a winner’s mentality stemming from his successful football journey. 

Landen Clark’s transfer became official Sunday night when On3 reported his decision, followed quickly by his confirmation on social media. LSU, coming off a complete QB reset, had zero scholarship QBs days earlier. Lane Kiffin’s staff moved quickly, and he committed, knowing more additions were on the way. 

On the field, Landen Clark arrives as a redshirt sophomore with a resume that explains the confidence Trujillo described. In 2025 at Elon, he completed 56 percent of his passes for 2,321 yards, 18 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He was also the Phoenix’s second-leading rusher, piling up 614 yards and 11 touchdowns on 189 attempts.

He broke Elon’s single-season scoring record with 29 total touchdowns. Those numbers came after he seized the starting job and stabilized an offense that had not been built around him.

Landen Clark acknowledged how fast the process moved. 

“It’s crazy,” he said Monday before leaving for Louisiana. “It’s like speed dating nowadays. Everything is sped up. You have to make your decision so quick.” 

Interest poured in immediately after his season ended. Michigan, Kentucky, and James Madison were all in the mix for the talented Clark. 

“For me, it was difficult,” Clark said. “It’s a problem, but a good problem. It just made my decision more clear in the long run, on where I really wanted to be.” 

That confidence traces back to Radford High School, where Landen Clark authored one of the most productive careers in Virginia high school football. As a senior, he led Radford to a 15-0 record and its first state championship in 51 years, throwing for over 4,300 yards and accounting for 71 total touchdowns.

Trujillo described him as “all business,” emphasizing that the QB is not arrogant, but fully committed to winning at any cost. And he knows the stage he is stepping onto. 

“To develop me and help me grow my game to where my game can be, they’re going to help me,” he said of the LSU staff. “They have the coaches in place to help me reach my full potential.” 

That belief is tied directly to Lane Kiffin and OC Charlie Weis Jr., who are now overseeing one of the most abruptly rebuilt QB rooms in the country.

Lane Kiffin’s new QBs will have stiff competition 

Shortly after bringing in Landen Clark, Lane Kiffin added Sam Leavitt, the former Arizona State quarterback widely ranked as one of the top-three overall transfers. He completed 61.3 percent of his passes over two seasons for 4,513 yards, 34 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, while adding 749 rushing yards and 10 scores.

He is expected to be LSU’s starter in 2026. However, a foot injury that required surgery will sideline him for spring practice and likely part of the summer.

That absence opened the door for LSU’s latest QB addition, Husan Longstreet. A 5-star prospect from the 2025 class, the former USC QB appeared in four games as a freshman, completing 13 of 15 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown, while rushing for two more scores. 

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For now, all signs point to Sam Leavitt as the next starter. But spring belongs to Landen Clark and Husan Longstreet. First-team reps will be earned in real time, and whoever capitalizes will be positioned as the primary backup and the early frontrunner for 2027.

And these competitors did not miss that reality because competition is the separator.