Tag: LSU Football

LSU to host experienced Michigan State defensive tackle transfer this weekend

The Tigers are clearly aiming to bulk up the defensive line’s interior in the transfer portal.

LSU has a clear need along the interior of the defensive line, and it’s clear addressing that is a priority in the second transfer portal window.

The Tigers have already offered one of the best transfers at the position in Kent State’s [autotag]CJ West[/autotag], and now they’re reportedly in contact with Michigan State defensive tackle transfer [autotag]Simeon Barrow Jr.[/autotag]

A redshirt senior from Grovetown, Georgia, who entered the transfer portal on Thursday, Barrow appeared in 34 games over the last three seasons with the Spartans, starting 30 of them.

He has 110 career tackles (18.5 for loss) and 10.5 sacks. He has also forced two fumbles with one recovery while blocking two field goals, and he was an All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2022 and 2023.

According to On3, he’s down to six schools and expected to make a transfer decision quickly. On3’s Pete Nakos later reported that Barrow would visit LSU on Sunday.

LSU’s only two experienced returning players at the position are [autotag]Jalen Lee[/autotag] and [autotag]Jacobian Guillory[/autotag], and the depth behind them is lacking. LSU may be looking to add several bodies at defensive tackle, but Barrow would be a major pickup for coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag].

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Former LSU QB Zach Mettenberger joins Nashville high school as offensive coordinator

Former LSU QB Zach Mettenberger has a new home, calling plays for Father Ryan High School in Nashville.

A former LSU quarterback has found a new home coaching high school football in Nashville.

[autotag]Zach Mettenberger[/autotag] will take over as the offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach and strength and conditioning coach at Father Ryan High School. It’s not Mettenberger’s first stop in the Nashville area. He previously worked as the OC at Hillsboro High School.

Mettenberger will have his work cut out for him. Father Ryan went 4-7 last year, including a 0-4 district record.

Mettenberger began his collegiate career at Georgia in 2009 before eventually landing at LSU. He was a two-year starter for the Tigers, leading LSU to double-digit wins both years.

Mettenberger threw for 5,783 yards and 35 touchdowns at LSU, ranking top 10 in program history in both categories.

He was drafted by the Titans and 2014 and played in the NFL for three years before a later stint with the AFL in 2019.

He was drafted by the Titans and 2014 and played in the NFL for three years before a later stint with the AFL in 2019.

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NCAA approves rule allowing multiple transfer with immediate eligibility

Players transferring multiple teams will now be immediate eligible permanently.

The rules around the NCAA transfer portal are about to get even more relaxed.

On Wednesday, the Division I Council approved an emergency rule that allows players transferring to be immediately eligible regardless of whether they’ve transferred before, as long as they’re in good academic standing with the institution they’re leaving.

Players will still only be permitted to transfer during the two windows, and players transferring mid-season will not be eligible to play for a different team in the same season.

The issue came up this past football and basketball season, and in December, the NCAA agreed to a temporary injunction giving eligibility to mult-time transfers. Now, that ruling will be permanent.

This is a decision that was widely expected, and it still needs to be formally approved by the NCAA’s executive board on Monday. But barring a last-second surprise, it seems there will now be almost no restrictions on who is immediately eligible to play after transferring.

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Former LSU DB Maurice Hampton in the transfer portal once again

Maurice Hampton, a former football and baseball player at LSU, is set to join his fourth collegiate program.

College football journeyman [autotag]Maurice Hampton[/autotag] is set to join his fourth program.

The former LSU defensive back, who played at Memphis this past season and previously at Samford, is back in the transfer portal. A former football and baseball player at LSU, he appeared in 12 games as a defensive back from 2019-20.

He opted to transfer to Samford, where he only played baseball over the next two seasons. The Memphis native reignited his football career in 2023 when he transferred to his hometown team, but he didn’t record a stat in his only season with the Tigers as he suffered a preseason injury.

The 23rd-round 2019 MLB draft pick appeared in 15 games in his two seasons with the LSU baseball team. He later appeared in 54 games over two seasons with the Bulldogs.

It’s been a winding career for the former blue-chip recruit, but he’s looking to make the most of his final season of eligibility.

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LSU preferred walk-on cornerback enters transfer portal

Ryan Robinson Jr., a New Orleans native, walked on at LSU last fall despite holding multiple Division I offers.

The LSU Tigers football team has already seen a pair of scholarship players opt to move on since the spring transfer portal opened — defensive end [autotag]Jaxon Howard[/autotag] and receiver [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag].

But now, LSU is also losing a redshirt freshman preferred walk-on who could have ultimately found a role on the team. Cornerback [autotag]Ryan Robinson Jr.[/autotag], a New Orleans native, is moving on after one season at LSU.

Robinson was a three-star recruit and top-35 player in the state of Louisiana, but he turned down multiple Division I scholarship offers to join the Tigers. As a true freshman in 2023, he appeared in four games, mostly seeing special teams action.

He played the cornerback spot against Grambling and recorded two tackles, while he added one more on special teams against Ole Miss.

Robinson likely wasn’t in line to start or even see significant reps this season, but with depth at cornerback already a concern, the Tigers may look to add someone during the spring transfer portal window.

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LSU redshirt freshman receiver enters transfer portal

Khai Prean is moving on after a redshirt season in 2023 in which he didn’t appear in any games.

LSU has seen its second transfer portal departure in the spring window as redshirt freshman receiver [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag] opted to enter the portal on Wednesday.

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, Prean entered the portal with a no-contact tag. That would seemingly indicate that he already knows where he’s going, or at least has a shortlist.

Prean joins [autotag]Jaxon Howard[/autotag] as LSU’s spring transfer portal entrants so far, but Howard signaled his intention to transfer prior to the window opening on Tuesday.

A four-star recruit and top-20 recruit nationally, the Belle Rose, Louisiana, native didn’t appear in any games as a true freshman and ultimately took a redshirt year.

With Prean now out of the mix, LSU will turn to players like [autotag]Chris Hilton Jr.[/autotag], last year’s transfer addition [autotag]Aaron Anderson[/autotag] and fellow 2023 recruit Shelton Sampson Jr. for depth behind the new starting receiving corps, which seems to be comprised of [autotag]Kyren Lacy[/autotag], Mississippi State transfer [autotag]Zavion Thomas[/autotag] and [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag] as we complete spring ball.

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LSU OT Will Campbell named one of the top 10 players in college football by CBS

Will Campbell enters his junior season with high expectations.

CBS Sports recently made a post of the pyramid of the best players in college football as we enter the 2024 season. The list was created by [autotag]Blake Brockermeyer[/autotag] from 247Sports.

According to Brockermeyer, LSU offensive lineman [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] is one of the top players in the country. There is a reason why [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] awarded Campbell the historic No. 7 jersey when he was only a Sophomore. Due to NCAA rules, Campbell is not allowed to wear the No. 7 jersey during games. So, Kelly placed a No. 7 patch on his jersey.

Brockermeyer has Campbell listed as the No. 6 player in college football. Here is what he had to say about him.

“The top offensive tackle in the country, Campbell has excellent technique as a pass protector and does a nice job getting to the proper spot in protection with square shoulders,” Blake Brockermeyer wrote. “Campbell is generally a two-hand puncher, which can lead to problems if done exclusively, but generally stones his opponents and has excellent feet to recover if he slightly gets beat. He has strong hands and grip strength and if he’s able to get them on defenders, it’s over.”

Campbell will be entering his junior season this fall for the Tigers. As the top offensive tackle in college football, this is likely his last season in college before being drafted by the NFL.

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Welcome to the spring transfer portal window

The transfer portal has opened up once again.

Ladies and gentlemen, the [autotag]transfer portal[/autotag] has opened up once again. If you have ever watched the Avengers: Endgame movie, there is a scene in it where a bunch of portals open and it seems as if hundreds if not thousands of people exit the portal.

That is the kind of scene we are about to witness.

I am not going to sugarcoat things, there is a high likelihood that LSU will lose some very talented guys that the fan base is in love with. But that sentiment will be true for just about every school. The portal is inevitable.

Here is a reminder to not comment on the social media pages of these kids and berate them for making a decision that they think is the best for their future.

Yes, LSU will likely lose some players to the transfer portal, but they could also gain some talented players from other schools. A couple of years ago, [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] constructed an entire secondary of transfer portal players. Kelly has done a great job recruiting so he does not have to fill as many spots with transfers, but there are some positions where he could bring in some depth.

Kelly has also used the transfer portal to bring some Louisiana boys back to the boot. That strategy has paid off well for him so far so I look for him to continue to do that.

The moral of this story is to not immediately believe that it is the end of the world when you see a graphic of an LSU player entering the transfer portal. It is not the end of the world, it’s just the business of college football.

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What is LSU’s biggest need entering the spring transfer portal window?

The Tigers could still use some help on defense entering the second transfer portal window.

With many college football programs completing spring practice over the weekend, the spring transfer portal window is set to open on Tuesday.

SEC teams are a bit limited in who they can target during this window as spring transfers are not permitted to move within the conference. Still, LSU approaches the second window with some clear needs.

It addressed several positions of need in the first window, most notably receiver with the additions of [autotag]CJ Daniels[/autotag] and [autotag]Zavion Thomas[/autotag]. It also has added a few defensive players like defensive lineman [autotag]Gio Paez[/autotag] and safety [autotag]Jardin Gilbert[/autotag].

Still, after an abysmal performance last season, the defense likely still needs to add some players.

On3’s Jesse Simonton assessed the biggest remaining portal need for every championship contender, and for LSU, it’s simply any help on the defensive side of the ball.

Brian Kelly is already on record that the Tigers will add defensive tackle depth when the portal opens — and that’s a must with the departure of the team’s top four interior tackles last season in Maason Smith, Mekhi Wingo, Jacobian Guillory and Jalen Lee.

But LSU’s head coach should not stop there. If the spring game was any indication (busted coverages are becoming a far too common theme with this group the last few years), Blake Baker’s unit still needs a whole lot of help in the secondary, too.

In fact, if any impact transfer defensive player — be it a pass rusher or linebacker as well, — wants to come play for the Bayou Bengals, then LSU should not turn them down. Kelly whiffed on some portal additions in the secondary last season, but he must take some swings again this spring if the Tigers hope to truly contend for a 12-team playoff spot this fall.

The Tigers face depth issues at a number of positions, particularly along the defensive line and in the secondary. However, it’s worth noting that Simonton is incorrect about the fact that Guillory and Lee have departed. Both are on the roster, though they represent the only returning depth on the interior of the defensive line.

Still, the overall assessment of the defensive roster situation is correct, and LSU will almost certainly address it. Kelly has said the Tigers are primarily looking to add defensive tackles, but perhaps they should examine other defensive transfers, as Simonton suggests.

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LSU QB commit Bryce Underwood remains top recruit in 2025 class after On3 update

LSU QB commit Bryce Underwood remained the top overall recruit in On3’s latest update.

On3 released its updated recruiting rankings on Monday, but LSU quarterback commit [autotag]Bryce Underwood[/autotag] held firm at the top spot.

Underwood, who committed to LSU in January, ranks as the nation’s top recruit at both On3 and 247Sports. He’s not that far behind on the other sites either, ranking second at ESPN and third at Rivals.

On3 calls Underwood a “top arm talent” and said he “is among the more physically gifted quarterback prospects in recent cycles.”

Underwood is the headlining piece of an LSU class that features a few of the nation’s top prospects. According to On3, the Tigers’ 2025 class sits second nationally, trailing only Ohio State.

Underwood would be the top-rated QB recruit in LSU’s history and the first No. 1 overall recruit to sign with LSU since [autotag]Leonard Fournette[/autotag] inked his letter of intent in 2014.

LSU went all the way to Michigan to secure Underwood’s commitment, which speaks to the recruiting talent of offensive coordinator [autotag]Joe Sloan[/autotag].

With [autotag]Garrett Nussmeier[/autotag] set the lead the Tigers in 2024 and Underwood on the horizon, LSU’s quarterback room is in good hands for the foreseeable future.

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