Ole Miss wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. has committed to LSU football. He has three years of eligibility remaining.
Watkins was the 25th ranked receiver in the 2026 transfer portal class, by On3Sports. He had a productive season for the Rebels in 2025, ranking seventh on the team in receptions, sixth in yards and sixth in touchdowns, by Pro Football Focus.
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Watkins is a significant commitment for LSU, marking the Tigers’ eighth wide receiver signing in this year’s portal class. He ranks fourth On3 transfer note of the group, behind Jayce Brown, Eugene Wilson III and Tre Brown.
What Watkins has, unlike the other three, is three seasons of eligibility. Tre Brown has two seasons left, but depending on how you evaluate high school recruiting rankings, Watkins’ ceiling is much higher. He was a four-star recruit coming out of high school, with top-notch speed that he used to establish a successful high school track career.
That speed also showed itself at times on the field, with a perfect example in the Rebels’ outing against Oklahoma earlier this season:
He’s still young, so it’s possible Watkins won’t have a big role early on with LSU. However, as time goes on, don’t be surprised to see him emerge as one of the Tigers’ primary playmakers.
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This article was originally published on LSU Wire: LSU football takes talented receiver from Ole Miss transfer portal
