Analysis: LSU’s Lance Heard enters the transfer portal

Here’s what LSU is losing with offensive tackle Lance Heard hitting the transfer portal.

The transfer portal window is now closed, but LSU took one of its biggest hits at the buzzer this week.

Offensive linemen [autotag]Lance Heard[/autotag] entered the portal. It was no surprise after Heard didn’t travel for the bowl game as head coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] said Heard was evaluating his role with the program.

The writing was on the wall here.

Out of all the Tigers to hit the portal, Heard is the most talented. There’s no getting around that. He was a five-star recruit in 2023 and according to PFF, he was the top-graded freshman offensive lineman. This is a guy that’s ready to play now.

Where does this leave LSU?

The offensive line will be fine. [autotag]Will Campbell[/autotag] and [autotag]Emery Jones[/autotag] are two of the best in the SEC, and there are enough pieces that the interior will work itself out.

But if Heard was on the roster, that would allow LSU to play him at right tackle and bump Jones to guard. The bottom line is with Campbell, Jones and Heard, LSU had three tackles that are capable of playing at an All-SEC level.

That’s something you usually don’t find and an incredible luxury.

Now, LSU doesn’t have that luxury. It’ll be counting on Campbell and Jones to stay healthy, which they’ve done so far, and another young lineman to make a jump.

LSU signed two more blue-chip tackles in the 2023 class, [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] and [autotag]DJ Chester[/autotag]. Adams played just three offensive snaps this year and Chester has a bright future, but it’s at the center position.

LSU doesn’t have an immediate answer to solve its depth issue at tackle now. And again, every team in the country has depth issues on the offensive line. That’s what made LSU having Campbell, Jones and Heard so special.

[autotag]Brad Davis[/autotag] is one of the best offensive line coaches in the business and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he had Adams ready to compete on the two-deep next year. [autotag]Bo Bordelon[/autotag] and [autotag]Paul Mubenga[/autotag] were three-star recruits who could pan out too.

Or maybe it’s one of the 2024 signees like [autotag]Weston Davis[/autotag] or [autotag]Ethan Calloway[/autotag], two more blue-chip tackle recruits set to join that room.

Regardless, LSU needs an answer now. Heard was projected as an All-American level player. That’s now one less player of that caliber on LSU’s roster.

It’s on Davis to develop another one of these guys to fill that gap.

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2023 LSU Tigers Snapshot Profile: No. 71 Tyree Adams

We are going to check out one of the brand-new faces on the offensive line for the 2023 season.

Going into the 2023 football season, LSU Wire will be looking at each player listed on the Tigers’ roster.

Over the preseason, each profile will cover where the player is from, how recruiting websites rated them coming out of high school, and what role they will play for Brian Kelly this season.

Here, we are going to check out one of the brand-new faces on the offensive line for the 2023 season, Tyree Adams. Adams was one of five offensive tackle prospects who inked with LSU on national signing day. He will serve as a backup this season and might be redshirted.

Tyree Adams Preseason Player Profile

Changes made to Florida’s official visit list for early December

Changes have been made to Florida’s official visit list for this weekend, with one player canceling and another changing his plans

The Gators have received some bad news on the recruiting trail. LSU offensive line commit [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] was previously scheduled to make an official visit to Florida in the hopes of flipping his recruitment from Baton Rouge to Gainesville.

Unfortunately for Billy Napier and his staff, Adams has told On3 that he will no longer be making the trip to Gainesville, and reaffirming his commitment to the LSU Tigers. Ultimately, flipping Adams was considered to be far-fetched. His original Dec. 2 official visit would have been his fourth trip to Gainesville in 2022.

The 6-foot-5, 283-pound Marrero, Louisiana, native’s spot opens the door for Aaron Gates, the longest committed member of the Gators’ class, to move his official visit up a week to Dec. 3.

The Gators currently have the seventh-highest recruiting class in the nation and the fourth-highest in the SEC. Early signing day is coming up on Dec. 21, giving Napier and his staff some time to solidify the 2023 recruits currently committed and time to flip some other recruits at key positions.

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Gators set to host this 4-star LSU commit on an official visit

Florida is looking to flip a four-star offensive tackle committed to LSU, and the Gators will get him on an official visit in December.

Four-star offensive tackle [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] locked in his commitment to LSU back in July, but Florida is still pushing hard to flip the elite lineman. Billy Napier and Co. will get one more shot to wow Adams when he makes his official visit to the Swamp on Dec. 2-4, according to a report from Gators Online.

This won’t be Adams’ first trip to Gainesville on the year, but official visits allow the team to go above and beyond the normal regulations set by the NCAA. Florida has taken an interesting approach to official visits this season, giving payers the option to visit for the LSU game or after the season, but Adams seems okay with that.

He got a chance to stop by the Swamp on April 5 shortly after he was offered and returned in early June for a second unofficial visit. Adams last made it to campus at the end of July for the recruiting cookout that followed the Friday Night Lights camp, and a planned official visit for the Utah game was changed after Florida set its visiting schedule.

Of course, [autotag]Billy Napier[/autotag]’s staff has plenty of ties to the state of Louisiana, which is where Adams is from. That should help Florida stay in the race until the very end, but it’s very hard to get a kid out of the state once LSU comes knocking. Adams is already committed to the Tigers so that only amplifies the difficulty level of the flip.

The On3 consensus ranks Adams at No. 186 overall in the class and at No. 14 among offensive tackles in 2023. The site’s individual rankings are a bit more bullish on him, putting him at No. 126 nationally and No. 10 among those at his position.

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Four-star offensive tackle DJ Chester commits to LSU, bumps 2023 class into top five

The top-150 prospect’s pledge moved the Tigers’ recruiting class up to No. 4 in the nation.

The Tigers aren’t done yet when it comes to adding players to their 2023 recruiting class, and now they boast a group of players that ranks in the top five nationally.

On Thursday morning, LSU picked up an absolutely massive commitment from four-star Eagles Landing Christian Academy (McDonough, Ga.) offensive tackle [autotag]DJ Chester[/autotag]. He becomes the fourth offensive line commitment in the class, joining [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag], [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] and [autotag]Paul Mubenga[/autotag].

The Tigers had long been seen as the favorite for Chester, who ranks as the No. 13 offensive tackle and No. 138 overall player in the 2023 recruiting class. He’s also a top-10 prospect in the state of Georgia.

Chester’s addition bumps LSU’s 24-man 2023 recruiting class into the No. 4 spot on the 247Sports Composite Rankings behind just Alabama, Georgia and Notre Dame and just ahead of Ohio State and Texas. On3, meanwhile, kept the Tigers at No. 5 following Chester’s pledge.

LSU could see its class rise in the rankings even more as it remains in the running for a couple of five stars in [autotag]Desmond Ricks[/autotag] and [autotag]Nyckoles Harbor[/autotag]. It is also the favorite for [autotag]Javien Toviano[/autotag], a top-100 cornerback from Texas.

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Blue-chip LSU target has made decision, will announce commitment Thursday

One of the Tigers’ top remaining prospects, offensive tackle DJ Chester, is coming off the board this week.

As we enter the final month of the 2022 regular season, early signing day is fast approaching.

LSU already has a top-10 class, but it’s hoping for even better as it remains in the running for a number of talented, uncommitted prospects. One of them, four-star offensive tackle [autotag]DJ Chester[/autotag], is set to announce his decision this week.

The McDonough, Georgia, native plays for Eagles Landing Christian Academy, and after an official visit to Ann Arbor for Michigan’s win over rival Michigan State, Chester is ready to make his decision.

He will announce his commitment on Thursday around 8:30 a.m. CT and will choose between a top six that includes LSU, Florida State, Michigan, Ole Miss, Auburn and Florida A&M. Chester told On3 that he is “at peace” with his decision.

The Tigers have two Crystal Ball projections for Chester from 247Sports — which ranks him as the No. 13 offensive tackle and No. 138 overall player. LSU is also a heavy favorite according to On3, which has a 95.4% chance of landing him.

If the Tigers can land Chester, it would give them four offensive line commits in the class as he would join [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag], [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] and [autotag]Paul Mubenga[/autotag].

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LSU picks up a prediction for four-star offensive lineman

The Tigers are the favorite to land another blue-chip offensive line prospect.

[autotag]D.J. Chester[/autotag] is a four-star, 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive lineman from McDonough, Georgia, where he plays for Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy. The Chargers have started the 2022 season 1-2 following a 28-21 loss to Calvary Day last week.

On3’s Shea Dixon recently predicted that Chester would commit to LSU. Chester is also Crystal Balled to commit to LSU per 247Sports. If Chester were to commit, he would become the fourth offensive lineman commit of the 2023 class, joining [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag], [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag], and [autotag]Paul Mubenga[/autotag].

The Tigers 2023 class currently ranks as the No. 7 class in the country, but it is in the mix for several more blue-chip recruits and could end up in the top five.

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BREAKING: LSU lands elite in-state offensive tackle prospect

Brian Kelly has landed another blue-chip Louisiana prospect in OT Zalance Heard.

The Tigers already had an impressive 2023 recruiting class heading into the month of September. But on Thursday, that group got even better for coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag].

LSU secured a commitment from Neville (Monroe, Louisiana) offensive tackle [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag]. 247Sports lists Heard as a four-star recruit sitting just outside the top 50 nationally, but On3 is significantly higher on the 6-foot-5, 300-pound prospect, ranking him as a five-star and the No. 13 player nationally.

Per the 247Sports Composite, he is the No. 6 offensive tackle and No. 4 prospect in the state of Louisiana.

He becomes the third offensive lineman to commit to the Tigers in this cycle, joining fellow offensive tackles [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] and [autotag]Paul Mubenga[/autotag].

Earlier in this cycle, there were questions about Kelly’s ability to recruit the state of Louisiana. Now, he holds pledges from six of the top 13 players in the state.

Heard’s commitment didn’t move LSU beyond No. 7 in the 247Sports Composite rankings, but the Tigers are now neck-and-neck with Ohio State for the No. 6 spot.

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Let’s Talk About It: How is ‘Recruiting the Boot’ going for LSU?

Coach Brian Kelly has silenced much of the criticism surrounding his in-state recruiting.

For the past few months, there have been many posts on social media and football message boards about how LSU coach [autotag]Brian Kelly[/autotag] was not doing a great job recruiting the best players from Louisiana. So, we’re going to take a look into how well the Tigers are doing when it comes to ‘Recruiting the Boot’.

Of the top 15 recruits in Louisiana for the class of 2023, LSU currently has five commits ([autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag], [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag], [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] and [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag]) and they have  Crystal Ball projections for two more ([autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag] and [autotag]Khai Prean[/autotag]).

If you go back one more spot, LSU could possibly land eight out of the top 16 players in the state — [autotag]Trey Holly[/autotag], another LSU commit, is No. 16 on the list.

Sure, Kelly missed out on some of the top prospects like [autotag]Arch Manning[/autotag], [autotag]Derek Williams[/autotag], [autotag]Eli Holstein[/autotag] and [autotag]Tackett Curtis[/autotag], but this isn’t Pokémon.

You aren’t going to catch them all.

Landing 50% of the top 16 players in the state is a very high clip. It’s also a lot more than anyone else has in your state. Out of the top 16 players, LSU could land eight while Texas has two (Manning and Williams). Alabama ([autotag]Eli Holstein[/autotag]), USC ([autotag]Tackett Curtis[/autotag]), Notre Dame ([autotag]Jaiden Ausberry[/autotag]), Nebraska ([autotag]Omarion Miller[/autotag]), Tennessee ([autotag]Jordan Matthews[/autotag]), and Washington ([autotag]Curley Reed[/autotag]) each have one.

No, it has not been a perfect recruiting cycle, but, in my opinion, it has been pretty successful.

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Opinion: Brian Kelly’s Louisiana recruiting earns stamp of approval

With Shelton Sampson Jr. on board, Kelly has eased concerns about in-state recruiting.

I have never been Brian Kelly’s biggest defender nor his biggest critic.

I’ve always said he is a competent coach who will win a handful of football games wherever he is. He isn’t Nick Saban, but then again, who is?

I think too much was made about how Kelly fit at LSU. Lincoln Riley is from Lubbock, Texas, and nobody made a fuss when he ended up in Southern California.

We also watched Saban and Les Miles win championships at LSU. Neither one of those guys screams Louisiana. If you win football games, people don’t really care about where you’re from, and Kelly has won a lot of football games.

There were questions on how he’d fare recruiting Louisiana. Some of that was because there was all that noise about the culture fit, and some of it was because he’s never been seen as an ace recruiter.

The first few months were iffy. It was a challenge to gain momentum with recruits during the transition. LSU watched as other schools made progress with top recruits like [autotag]Derek Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Tackett Curtis[/autotag]. Longtime commit [autotag]Omarion Miller[/autotag] flipped and followed [autotag]Mickey Joseph[/autotag] to Nebraska.

LSU was having success nationally, but I wanted to see more success in Louisiana. Over the last month or so, Kelly has eased any criticism I had on that front.

LSU pulled in commitments from Louisiana prospects OT [autotag]Tyree Adams[/autotag] and RB [autotag]Kaleb Jackson[/autotag].

The big one came on Saturday when WR [autotag]Shelton Sampson Jr.[/autotag] gave his pledge and LSU got one of it’s biggest targets.

Sampson was a guy LSU could not miss on. A five-star receiver from Baton Rouge. If Kelly couldn’t seal the deal here, his critics were going to have a field day.

LSU has been building steam with OT [autotag]Zalance Heard[/autotag]. A big-time prospect from Monroe, Louisiana, who On3 has as a five-star.

Baton Rouge quarterback [autotag]Rickie Collins[/autotag] recently decommitted from Purdue and looks destined to end up a Tiger. Safety [autotag]Kylin Jackson[/autotag] received a 247Sports Crystal Ball to LSU earlier this month.

When it’s all said and done, LSU is going to have a solid class of Louisiana recruits. The Tigers still need to show improvement on the field, but Kelly has done a lot with less talent than he has now.

A decent season should have LSU in a good position to run the state in 2024.

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