BREAKING: LSU lands transfer DT Jay'Viar Suggs
The LSU football staff’s pursuit of defensive tackles in the NCAA Transfer Portal has provided another addition to the roster ahead of the 2024 season.
Grand Valley State defensive tackle Jay’Viar Suggs emerged as a new target for LSU’s staff one week ago, and he pushed back his planned announcement to make one final visit.
After spending Sunday until Tuesday in Baton Rouge, Suggs committed to the Tigers as the second defensive tackle addition this spring.
Wisconsin’s Gio Paez is already committed to the LSU staff as a defensive tackle who arrives on campus this summer, Suggs brings another body to a potential 4-5 man rotation on the interior for the Tigers this fall.
Suggs, who is leaving Grand Valley State after entering the portal on April 22, stacked up college offers over the past month. After a run of visits, he named Michigan, USC, Wisconsin, Arkansas, Florida State and Kentucky as top teams on his list. Then came an LSU offer, which shook up his recruitment in the 11th hour and resulted in a commitment to Brian Kelly and the Tigers.
The Flint, Mich., native is a graduate transfer and has two years of eligibility remaining after spending five seasons at Grand Valley State. Suggs took a redshirt in 2019 before the 2020 season was canceled as a result of the pandemic, and his 2021 campaign was cut short before it began as a result of an injury. That said, the past two years brought plenty of playing time his way.
A 6-foot-3, 282-pounder, Suggs logged 21 stops, 7 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, 5 pass breakups and 1 forced fumble in 2022. In 2023, Suggs totaled 21 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks to go along with 4 pass breakups and a forced fumble. He had at least one half-tackle for loss in eight of 11 appearances.
For LSU, there are connections that helped reel in Suggs. Brian Kelly won a pair of D2 National Championships at Grand Valley State, and his youngest son, Kenzel Kelly, was on the Grand Valley State football team with Suggs this past season. LSU Recruiting and Operations Analyst Patrick Kelly, Brian Kelly’s oldest son, helped host Suggs during his time in Baton Rouge.
Suggs is a graduate of Clarkston (Mich.) High as part of the 2019 class, making him a senior when current LSU starting offensive lineman Garrett Dellinger was a sophomore at Clarkston High.
