If there is one team that is far and away dominating the transfer portal thus far, it’s the LSU Football team. The Tigers have brought in 13 players which will help revamp the roster and give LSU a chance at earning a bid to the College Football Playoff. The difference this year with LSU’s transfer portal haul is that the Tigers are landing some of the elite top end transfers that will make a massive difference from Day One.
Thus far, LSU has landed 6 of On3’s Top 100 transfers and 5 of 247 Sports top 100 which is an absolutely loaded class.
The Tigers have a good enough track record that LSU didn’t need to go out and land a wide receiver it could’ve trusted its history of development. Instead, LSU got aggressive, going out and landing Oklahoma’s Nic Anderson, Kentucky’s Barion Brown, and Florida State’s Destyn Hill. Brown and Anderson are both instant impact players who can easily lead the team in receiving next year as they’ve done in the past while Hill is more of a long term addition. Pair the additions with Aaron Anderson, Chris Hilton Jr, Zavion Thomas, Kyle Parker and other returnees and it’s tough to find a receiving core that comes close.
LSU loses its two starting edge rushers Bradyn Swinson and Sai’Vion Jones to the NFL while potential replacement Da’Shawn Womack transferred to Ole Miss. The Tigers quickly went out and landed Jack Pyburn and Jimari Butler two experienced edge rushers that can bridge the gap until LSU’s younger players are ready. Then LSU took it up another level and landed Florida State’s Patrick Payton who is easily one of the top defensive players in the Country.
As LSU needs to replace four of its five starters on the offensive line, LSU needed to land a player with positional versatility and experience as the Coaching staff tries to complete the offensive line puzzle. Virginia Tech offensive lineman Braelin Moore transfers in with experience at Center and Guard and will give LSU’s staff a few different options of offensive line combinations.
When Corey Raymond was coaching at Florida, LSU’s defensive back play quickly fell below the standard. Now with Corey Raymond back, LSU signed the top defensive back in the 2025 recruiting class in DJ Pickett before bringing Ja’Keem Jackson a cornerback with SEC experience and Mansoor Delane a player who has been projected as a potential 2nd to 3rd round draft pick this year.
After losing Bryce Underwood to Michigan and Rickie Collins to the transfer portal, LSU needed to add a quarterback. LSU went out and in a shocker brought in Michael Van Buren who started and impressed as a True Freshman for Mississippi State. Fans will question why LSU did this when the Tigers could develop Colin Hurley but, bringing in another quarterback to compete in the room will only help in everyone’s development while giving LSU and experience backup.
The Tight end room took a blow with Mason Taylor declaring for the NFL Draft while Ka’Morreun Pimpton entered the portal. It’s tough to replace a Mason Taylor but, in landing Oklahoma’s Bauer Sharp, the Tigers add a tight end with SEC Experience and proven blocking ability.
Bo Davis went the same route as Corey Raymond and reunited with Sydir Mitchell giving LSU another talented piece in the defensive line room that Davis can develop into a starter and key rotational piece.
The punting was inconsistent the entire season so the staff went out and landed Grant Chadwick who was one of the better punters in College Football as a True Freshman and will bring more competition to the room.
LSU went out and brought in the pieces to be a contender
The outlook of the team heading into next season, could’ve been grim if LSU just went out and added a few pieces around the edges. Instead, LSU added competition and top end talent at nearly every position which will in turn make this team leaps and bounds better than what they were in 2024. This offseason, Brian Kelly and his staff showed that they’re bought in to building a winner and if it pans out next season, we’ll see this same approach going forward.
