LSU plans to be 'very aggressive' recruiting transfer portal, per Brian Kelly
LSU plans to be “very aggressive” in the transfer portal this winter and spring, according to Brian Kelly.
This offseason’s roster-building became a focal point of conversation at the coach’s Monday press conference, four days after the Tigers lost 2025 quarterback commitment Bryce Underwood and five days before their regular-season finale against Oklahoma.
“We’ll be very aggressive,” Kelly said. “I think everybody that’s followed us knows that we weren’t very aggressive in the transfer portal. We put together a defensive line using minimal resources. We’ve really put ourselves in a position — and I’ll use this term loosely — to stay well under the cap, so we could be quite aggressive this year.
“And we will be very aggressive in that area, as well as bringing in 16 mid-years (early enrollees from the high school class). We’re gonna have 16 mid-years. We think that the program in terms of the culture and the standards are such that we can do that now, where we can bring in 16 freshmen and maybe one of, if not the largest, transfer portal classes as well.”
While coaches are not allowed to discuss specific recruits by name, Kelly emphasized that the portal could be in play for a quarterback when asked about that position specifically.
Underwood, the five-star prospect from Belleville, Mich., had been as much the face of the Tigers’ 2025 class as anyone for his near-year committed to the program before Thursday’s flip of plans.
The nation’s top 50-plus quarterbacks in the class, according to the On3 Sports rankings, are currently committed to other programs with the early signing period just nine days away.
But Kelly said LSU will “most likely” still add to the position this offseason and emphasized the routes and timelines beyond signing a high school quarterback in December.
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“I think we’ll always look at taking a quarterback each year,” he said. “And we’ll most likely take a quarterback again this year. We look at the calendar year a little bit differently than just December. We have a February signing period. We have a transfer portal. So we’ll continue to look at that and see how that best fits our roster.
“But I can tell you this: that the overall roster is much more important than one particular position. As much as we want to take a quarterback at this position, I think what’s more important is the overall health of the roster. And, so, if it ends up being that we do take a quarterback, that’s great. But I think that our eye is on the strength of the entire roster.”
LSU maintains the No. 6 class in the country despite the loss of Underwood.
The group still includes a pair of five-star prospects in Zephyrhills, Fla., defensive back D.J. Pickett and St. Martin’s Episcopal running back Harlem Berry, as well as 16 four-star and seven three-stay recruits.
And Kelly feels the Tigers are well-positioned from both program culture and financial standpoints to be aggressive in further bolstering this offseason’s roster additions after being admittedly more conservative in the 2024 cycle.
“All of ’em are strategic decisions that you make from year to year,” the coach said. “And it just didn’t present for us in a manner that we felt like we were going to reach last year on some things. And just didn’t think at the time when we were looking at players that made sense for us, they duplicated a lot of things. We don’t have that duplication in the program any more. And, so, that’s why in certain areas, we’ll be very aggressive.”
