LSU football loses top safety transfer target to ACC school

One of LSU’s top defensive transfer targets if off the board

One of LSU football’s top defensive targets in the transfer portal committed to Miami on Tuesday.

Former Jacksonville State safety Zechariah Poyser will take his talents to South Florida after being heavily pursued by LSU.

Poyser was one of the top secondary transfers on the market. Per 247Sports, he’s the No. 65 ranked transfer in the class. On3 ranks Poyser as the No. 6 overall safety.

After a productive year with Jacksonville State, he opted to look for opportunities at the Power Four level.

A handful of major programs were interested in Poyser. Along with LSU, Georgia and Auburn were involved.

Safety isn’t a desperate need for LSU, but the Tigers are looking to upgrade the talent on the backend after inconsistent play in 2024. LSU has also taken transfer portal losses of its own at the position, losing Sage Ryan, Jordan Allen, and Kylin Jackson.

According to PFF, Poyser made 17 stops in 2024 and was one of the top-graded coverage safeties in Conference USA. With Poyser off the board, the Tigers will have to turn their attention elsewhere.