LSU Transfer Portal Tracker: Who's coming (and going)
The first NCAA Transfer Portal Window ended in January, and for the second year in a row, LSU head coach Brian Kelly added double-digit players from the portal to the roster in Baton Rouge.
Now, college football teams are working through the second – and final – NCAA Transfer Portal window of the offseason. The second portal window runs from April 15-30.
A student-athlete must enter their name into the portal by April 30 if they plan to transfer ahead of the 2023 season, though a decision on a student-athlete’s transfer destination could come beyond that date.
The Tigers reeled in 25 high school signees this cycle, with all 25 prospects signing in December. LSU finished with the No. 5 class on the On3 Consensus Football Team Recruiting Rankings.
One signee, Georgia three-star Michael Daugherty, has already parted ways with the team and entered the portal, bringing the total down to 24 high school additions to the 2023 roster.
LSU also added 12 transfers who entered their names into the portal during the first window, and all but one of the transfers are on campus this spring. Maryland offensive line transfer Mason Lunsford arrives in Baton Rouge this summer.
Meanwhile, the Tigers had 17 players enter the portal during the first transfer window. Daugherty, the 18th LSU player to enter the portal, is the lone player who has entered from LSU during the second transfer window.
Here’s the rundown on who’s leaving the program and who is now on roster after transferring to LSU this offseason.
Transferred out: (18)
QB Walker Howard (Ole Miss)
WR Jack Bech (TCU)
TE Kole Taylor (West Virginia)
OT Cameron Wire (Tulane)
OT Marcus Dumervil (Maryland)
OL Xavier Hill (Memphis)
OL Kardell Thomas (Florida A&M)
EDGE Zavier Carter (UNLV)
EDGE Phillip Webb (Jackson State)
EDGE Desmond Little (UAB)
LB DeMario Tolan (Auburn)
LB Antoine Sampah (Campbell)
LB Kolbe Fields (Louisiana Tech)
CB Raydarious Jones (Mississippi State)
CB Damarius McGhee (Kansas)
CB Jaelyn Davis-Robinson (SMU)
S Derrick Davis Jr. (Pitt)
*** With Kardell Thomas announcing his decision to transfer to Florida A&M on Tuesday, all 17 former Tigers who entered the NCAA Transfer Portal in the first window have now decided on their next college stop. The lone LSU name in the portal who remains undecided is Daugherty, who signed with the Tigers in December but hasn’t participated in spring practices.
*** Three former LSU players transferred to SEC schools with quarterback Walker Howard to Ole Miss, linebacker DeMario Tolan to Auburn and cornerback Raydarious Jones to Mississippi State. The Tigers will have faced all three SEC West teams by October 14, and Tolan and Jones could well be starters for both teams. Beyond the aforementioned trio, the Tigers won’t face any of the other former LSU players during the 2023 regular season.
*** Only three of LSU’s 18 transfer portal entrants started a game for the Tigers in 2023. Wide receiver Jack Bech led the way with four starts, while tight end Kole Taylor made two starts and offensive tackle Cam Wire made one start.
*** The departure of quarterback Walker Howard after one season with the program leaves the Tigers with three scholarship quarterbacks for the 2023 season: senior Jayden Daniels, sophomore Garrett Nussmeier and freshman Rickie Collins.
*** The biggest hit to LSU’s 2023 roster can be argued as Tolan, a true freshman at linebacker who was inching his way into more and more playing time as the season played out. Tolan did not travel with the team for the Citrus Bowl, and he announced his decision to enter the portal soon after. Tolan, a Florida native, will play this season at Auburn. The Tigers worked to fill the void in the linebacker room with the addition of Oregon State veteran linebacker Omar Speights, who is expected to be a starter for LSU this season.
Transferred in to LSU: (12)
WR Aaron Anderson (from Alabama)
OL Mason Lunsford (from Maryland)
EDGE Bradyn Swinson (from Oregon)
EDGE Ovie Oghoufo (from Texas)
DL Paris Shand (from Arizona)
DT Jordan Jefferson (from West Virginia)
DT Jalen Lee (from Florida)
LB Omar Speights (Oregon State)
CB Denver Harris (Texas A&M)
CB Zy Alexander (Southeastern Louisiana)
CB Duce Chestnut (Syracuse)
CB JK Johnson (Ohio State)
*** LSU has reeled in 12 transfers, and all 12 come from different college programs. The SEC and Pac 12 led the way with three players from each conference. LSU landed Alabama’s Aaron Anderson, Texas A&M’s Denver Harris and Florida’s Jalen Lee out of the SEC. The Tigers reeled in Oregon State’s Omar Speights, Oregon’s Bradyn Swinson and Arizona’s Paris Shand from the PAC 12.
*** The Tigers took one player from each Power 5 conference. In addition to the trio of additions from the SEC and PAC 12, LSU added two Big 12 players in Texas edge rusher Ovie Oghoufo and West Virginia defensive tackle Jordan Jefferson, two ACC players in Syracuse’s Duce Chestnut and Maryland’s Mason Lunsford, and one Big 10 player in Ohio State’s JK Johnson.
*** Of the 12 transfers, only one comes from the FCS level. LSU added Southeastern cornerback Zy Alexander, who was an FCS All-American during his time in Hammond (La.). The Loreauville native spent three seasons with the Lions, appearing in 31 games and logging 97 tackles, 12 pass breakups and nine interceptions.
*** Alabama wide receiver and New Orleans native Aaron Anderson is one of only two additions on offense, joining Maryland offensive lineman Mason Lunsford. Anderson, a former Top 100 prospect, left the state a year ago and signed with the Tide. Now, he’s coming off a redshirt season and has four years of eligibility remaining. Anderson is expected to see time at both wide receiver and in the return game on special teams.
*** After the 2023 season, Brian Kelly circled defensive line and cornerback as two areas the Tigers needed to address in the portal, and LSU did just that. Of the 10 transfers on defense, five are defensive linemen and four are cornerbacks.
