Since the advent of the transfer portal, the entire strategy behind roster-building has shifted.
Now, coaches can turn bad situations around much quicker, and contenders can take the leap from good to great with just a couple of additions. LSU will be one of the teams hoping to do just that this fall.
After bringing in a lot of veteran transfers last offseason, coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] has done the same this time around. The team was particularly active on defense, bringing in [autotag]Omar Speights[/autotag] and [autotag]Duce Chestnut[/autotag]. But the offense added promising Power Five position players like receiver [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and running back [autotag]Logan Diggs[/autotag].
On3’s Jesse Simonton listed the Tigers’ transfer portal class as one that could impact the College Football Playoff race.
Brian Kelly doesn’t want to live long-term via the transfer portal, but the former Notre Dame head coach has used the outlet as a way to beef up LSU’s roster his first two seasons in Baton Rouge.
The SEC West champs added 13 transfers to the roster during the 2023 cycle.
For the second straight autumn, the Tigers’ secondary will feature a whole new host of faces, with Denver Harris, a former 5-star recruit from Texas A&M, Darian ‘Duce’ Chestnut, a Freshman All-American in 2021 from Syracuse, Ohio State backup corner Jakailin Johnson and Zy Alexander, an FCS All-American who had nine picks in two seasons at Southeastern Louisiana, all competing for starting spots.
All-Pac 12 transfer Omar Speights will pair with Harold Perkins to form one of the top 1-2 LB tandems in the country, while Maryland tackle Mason Lunsford (a 13-game starter last season) is a great addition to an offensive line that returns all five starters in 2023.
The Tigers also signed several quality defensive linemen/edge defenders who figure to compete for playing time this fall.
Two potential game-changing transfers on offense are former Alabama speedster Aaron Anderson, a New Orleans native, and Notre Dame tailback Logan Diggs.
Running back was a question mark for LSU entering the summer, but the recent addition of Diggs, who signed with Kelly in 2021 and had over 1,000 total yards as a sophomore in 2022) fills a real need.
With the rest of its returning roster + notable additions like Speights and Diggs, LSU has the makeup of a College Football Playoff team. Whether the Tigers can win the SEC West again and crack the field will likely depend on how a reshuffled secondary shakes out — starting in Week 1 in a monster game vs. FSU.
The Tigers certainly added a lot of new pieces, but this team should be talented once again after a surprisingly successful 10-win season in 2022.
LSU will hope these additions are enough to take yet another leap in 2023.
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