BATON ROUGE, La. — Meetings that will determine the future for many LSU players are underway. Coach Brian Kelly and some assistant coaches, who refrained from immediately hitting the road to recruit after Saturday’s SEC title game, are meeting with draft-eligible players and transfer candidates to figure out best options.
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It’s just the beginning of what may be the wildest few weeks in transfer history. The transfer portal window opened Monday, giving players 45 days to enter before it closes.
LSU can attack this year with a more selective approach after it loaded up on 15 transfers last year to restock a depleted roster. It can take fewer players and patiently scout for the ones who best fit LSU’s demands on and off the field. LSU’s roster is more stable, so it won’t be taking role players. It will be looking for players who clearly upgrade positions of need and won’t force anything. Kelly said LSU wants to “top off the tank.”
As for players LSU could lose to the portal, as of Monday, only linebackers Phillip Webb and Antoine Sampah, who both left the team this summer, had entered. There will be a handful of LSU players who enter, which has become normal roster attrition.
To understand how LSU will handle this cycle, though, Kelly’s approach from a year ago is still instructive.
As a new coach at a new program in a new conference, he took over a roster that fielded just 39 players for the Texas Bowl. While frantically filling his staff and recruiting his 2022 high school class, he knew he’d need transfers to assemble a competent roster.
Yet LSU took its time. It had to think big picture.
Look no further than tight end, a clear LSU need last offseason. Kelly outright said it needed to find somebody to improve the group. And some intriguing names entered the portal that winter.
But LSU did its homework. It called high school coaches. It called opposing coaches. It talked to trainers and researched players’ social media histories. And if LSU didn’t see a fit, it didn’t pursue them. When it came to tight end, LSU didn’t find a match for its rebuild in Baton Rouge, and that was OK.
“It’s one of the areas that can really get you in trouble or really can get you out of trouble,” Kelly said of the portal months later in November. “And I think it got us out of trouble because we took great character kids that could represent our program in a positive way both on and off the field.”
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LSU’s portal additions were the bedrock of an SEC West title season. Kelly and LSU staffers often repeat that it wasn’t just about their abilities but their character. Culture was a major issue at LSU when Kelly took over. He wanted players that would develop the building blocks of the kind of program he really wanted.
Yes, that can sound eye-roll worthy and like coach speak, but anyone around both the Ed Orgeron and Kelly programs will note a difference in accountability and leadership this fall. From transfer quarterback Jayden Daniels to defensive starters Greg Brooks and Mekhi Wingo to punter Jay Bramblett, transfers were among LSU’s best players in its nine-win season, and they were also its leaders.
So though LSU won’t be taking as many transfer this cycle, the focus will remain similar.
“We are not going to put that momentum at risk for guys that simply have talent but don’t meet the traits, don’t have the characteristics we’re looking for,” said Brian Polian LSU’s special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator. “That stuff is just too important.”
What positions LSU will target
(As always, NFL Draft decisions and portal declarations could impact LSU’s priorities.)
• Cornerback: LSU added essentially three outside corners and a nickelback in 2022, plus graduate student walk-on Colby Richardson from McNeese. Only Mekhi Garner is expected to return outside, as Brooks, Richardson and Jarrick Bernard-Converse are expected to be be gone. Sage Ryan is likely ready to take over as the full-time nickel, but there’s not much depth behind him.
LSU surely hopes some of its young corners like Damarius McGhee, Jaelyn Davis-Robinson and Laterrance Welch develop, but none have major game experience. Same for LSU’s talented (and likely growing) list of 2023 cornerback commits. Expect LSU to grab probably two more corners.
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• Edge rusher: It seems extremely likely that first-team All-SEC edge rusher BJ Ojulari will be off to the NFL. Next up on the depth chart are likely Zavier Carter and the well-developing Desmond Little. Maybe both are ready, but I’d expect LSU to look hard for an elite edge rusher. Of course, schools don’t often let great edge rushers get away. LSU has high-level defensive end prospects like sophomore Sai’vion Jones and freshman Quency Wiggins, but both project to be more strong side defensive ends than standup outside linebackers. Wiggins will be fun to follow. He has sky-high upside and is growing at a massive rate, so LSU will see where his body ends up after this offseason to decide where he fits best.
• Tight end: True freshman Mason Taylor had a surprise breakout season, but after him, LSU might not have a single tight end it truly trusts in the SEC. Four-star Mac Markway is coming in this cycle, but LSU needs much more, especially considering Kelly and offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock love multi-tight end sets.
What to watch
• Those are the only areas of obvious need. From there, LSU can get selective and find good fits that make the team better. For example, LSU will be replacing senior linebacker Micah Baskerville. It has good depth behind him, from starter Greg Penn III to impressive freshman DeMario Tolan to last year’s transfers West Weeks and Kolbe Fields. Plus, freshman phenom Harold Perkins Jr. will likely go back inside long term. LSU probably doesn’t “need” another inside backer, but if it finds a high-quality option who fits, it could make sense. Same with safety, a position at which LSU has plenty of bodies but could need improvement if players like Jay Ward want to go pro.
• Kelly loves finding players from Louisiana that want to return home. Keep an eye out for that.
• Before anyone asks, as of now, LSU is not planning to pursue any portal quarterbacks. One, Daniels has another year of eligibility, and it’s possible he comes back as he’s received feedback that he’s not considered a top NFL Draft prospect. Also, in addition to LSU’s two highly touted young quarterbacks in Garrett Nussmeier and Walker Howard, four-star Rickie Collins is on his way. If Daniels returns, it’s reasonable to wonder if a quarterback like Nussmeier — who put on a show in the SEC Championship Game — could enter the portal, but LSU is content with its quarterback situation regardless.
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