LSU football made a splash on its offensive line on Friday, securing a commitment from Northwestern transfer Josh Thompson.
Thompson is LSU’s second offensive line addition this portal cycle. Last week, LSU signed former Virginia Tech center Braelin Moore. With LSU losing four starters up front, the offensive line was a priority when the portal opened.
LSU head coach Brian Kelly said the Tigers were going to be aggressive in building this roster. LSU has backed it up so far, assembling one of the best transfer hauls in the country.
It’s rare to find proven offensive linemen in the transfer portal. But that’s what LSU is getting in Thompson.
The Tigers have young blue-chip linemen who need to take another step, but Thompson’s presence raises the floor of the room.
On top of adding Thompson and Moore, LSU has not seen any of its own offensive linemen enter the portal.
Let’s look at the impact Thompson can make with the Tigers.
Josh Thompson’s portal rankings
Here’s where Thompson ranks overall in portal rankings.
On3: 35
247Sports: 64
Rivals: 30
Thompson is a consensus top 70 transfer, with two services ranking Thompson in the top 35. According to On3, Thompson is the No. 4 ranked interior offensive lineman in the portal.
Where did Thompson rank as a high school recruit?
Looking at a player’s high school recruiting ranking can be helpful even when we have a real sample size. Blue-chip recruits are blue-chip recruits.
Per On3, Thompson was a four-star in the class of 2021. 247Sports wasn’t as high on Thompson, but it did rank him in the top 50 at his position.
Thompson has the baseline talent needed to play in the SEC.
Thompson has versatility
In 2023, Thompson played right tackle for the Wildcats. In 2024, he bumped over to guard. Given how many spots LSU needs to fill, that versatility should come in handy for LSU.
The Tigers are giving Tyree Adams a shot at tackle, but if he turns out to be a guard, LSU can give Thompson a go at tackle.
LSU gets much-needed experience
LSU needed to add experience on the offensive line. With Will Campbell, Emery Jones, Garrett Dellinger, and Miles Frazier off to the NFL, the Tigers have a ton of career snaps to replace.
Thompson arrives at LSU with 1,429 power conference snaps. As stated before, 731 of those came at right tackle, and 657 came at right guard.
Thompson and Moore will be the two most experienced linemen on LSU’s roster in 2025.
Thompson didn’t allow a sack in 2024
In 402 pass block snaps in 2024, Thompson didn’t allow a sack, according to PFF. His 83.5 pass block grade was one of the best marks in the Big Ten.
He posted a pass-blocking efficiency of 99.2 and surrendered just two hits on the quarterback. With Frazier, LSU had one of the best pass-protecting guards in the SEC in 2024. Thompson should continue that trend for the Tigers.