Tennessee Volunteers Transfer, LSU Football EDGE Raves About This Elite Newcomer

Originally posted on LSU Tigers on SI | By Zack Nagy | Last updated Apr 24, 2026 2:04 PM ET

The LSU Tigers are reaping the benefits of their recruiting efforts in January with the program already seeing newcomers via the NCAA Transfer Portal make an immediate impact.

Lane Kiffin and Co. attacked the free agent market across January with the coaching staff inking the No. 1 Transfer Portal Class in America - headlined by nine Top-100 players in the market.

"This ain't no first year build thing. We're trying to go all the way," LSU EDGE Princewill Umanmielen said. "If that's the mindset you got, a building mindset, this ain't the place. We're trying to go out of the way, so that's our mindset right now.

"Everybody has to be on the same page, has to want it. Everybody has to be one. Can't have no selfish guys. Everybody has to play their part, do their one of 11, and we'll be fine for sure."

Now, the program is seeing newcomers galore shine with Tennessee Volunteers transfer Jordan Ross raving about what he's seen from the defense - specifically Umanmielen.

"I love the d-end room. P. Will [Princewill Umanmielen] is really great. He learned stuff from me, and I learned stuff from him, and we bond together. I really love it. I honestly feel like it's brotherhood. I pretty much know everybody in there," Ross said.

"We got Dylan Carpenter. He's going to be a really good factor this year. We got KC [Kolaj Cobbins], he's going to be a good factor this year. Trenton, the early enrollee. We got Dame [Damien Shanklin] and we got Jalen [Brown]. We got all different attributes for this position and I feel like that whole group, that whole position group can be a big factor for this defense."

LSU has seen the defense shine across Spring Camp with Ross now seeing his workload increase following the injury to Gabe Reliford - suffering a torn ACL.

Now, as the offseason continues, all eyes are on the defense with coordinator Blake Baker's unit winning Spring Camp across March and April.

"Honestly, I didn't really think he was, like, going to be so laid back and chill. To be honest, he kind of surprised me when he had the cleats on," Ross said of Baker. "I'm like, why does he have cleats on? Because I'm not really used to that.

"I remember the first day of OTAs, he's just running out there. I'm like, I've never seen that before. And he's just having a blast being out there with us."

"He honestly brings it up in the meeting rooms. He comes in there, we're in the meeting room listening to music, and he comes with the energy, so we try to match his energy."

This article first appeared on LSU Tigers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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