Mississippi Rebels linebacker Princewill Umanmielen. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Lane Kiffin and LSU land former Ole Miss EDGE Princewill Umanmielen

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Jan 21, 2026 12:37 PM ET

Lane Kiffin and the LSU Tigers have poached one of the best players from his old squad, the Ole Miss Rebels.

Edge-rusher Princewill Umanmielen was a late addition to the transfer portal. In fact, it was a bit shocking when the 6-foot-5, 245-pound junior put his name in the portal just a day before the deadline.

Umanmielen must have already had an idea that he wanted to follow Kiffin to Baton Rouge, though, because less than a week later, he's committed to the Tigers.

Umanmielen was announced on social media on Wednesday morning.

This is a massive commitment for LSU, to say the least.

BREAKING: Ole Miss transfer EDGE Princewill Umanmielen has signed with LSU, @PeteNakos reportshttps://t.co/GAjHrQsjwG https://t.co/Q52v8uiJ0o pic.twitter.com/onue7qv7zC
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) January 21, 2026

Princewill Unanmielen is an elite pass-rusher pickup for LSU Tigers

Umanmielen had an elite season for Ole Miss in 2025. He notched 45 tackles, nine sacks and one interception.

Those numbers include a sack in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Miami, a game Ole Miss lost, 31-27, and 1.5 sacks in Ole Miss' CFP first round win over Tulane.

What’s LSU getting in Princewill Umanmielen? An edge rusher who recorded nine sacks, 13 TFLs and 40 pressures this season. He was one of the top players in the transfer portal. pic.twitter.com/aVwJEf70ov
— Wilson Alexander (@whalexander_) January 21, 2026

Umanmielen is a former 4-star recruit out of Manor, Texas. He committed to the Nebraska Cornhuskers out of high school and notched just 1.5 sacks in two seasons in Lincoln.

He transferred to Ole Miss and exploded onto the college football scene. In fact, according to the 247Sports transfer portal rankings, he was the top EDGE recruit to become available.

Again, this goes down as a massive win for Kiffin and LSU.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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