It can be tough to make evaluations this far ahead of time in college football these days, especially with the roster volatility that the transfer portal brings. But with the second transfer portal window mostly slowing down, we now have a pretty clear picture of how rosters will look this coming fall.
With that in mind, ESPN’s Mark Schlabach updated his college football top 25 rankings after spring ball, and it featured a couple of changes. For LSU, however, that didn’t mean any movement. Coach Brian Kelly’s team ranked 14th back in January, and that remains the case in these rankings.
Here’s what Schlabach said about the Tigers.
Spring update: The Tigers are going to have a new look on offense, as Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels and star receivers Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. have left for the NFL. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier picked up from where he left off in the bowl game, completing 7 of 7 passes for 187 yards with two touchdowns in the spring game. With quarterbacks coach Joe Sloan calling plays, Nussmeier looked more than comfortable. Transfer receivers Zavion Thomas (Mississippi State) and CJ Daniels (Liberty) showed they’re ready to produce this season. LSU coach Brian Kelly brought in former Missouri defensive coordinator Blake Baker to turn around a unit that ranked 81st in scoring defense (28 points) and 118th in pass defense (255.9 yards) in 2023. The Tigers are still searching for help on the defensive line after Mekhi Wingo and Maason Smith left for the NFL. Defensive end Gabriel Reliford, an early enrollee, was a bright spot in the spring. The Tigers picked up transfer defensive tackle Jay’viar Suggs (Grand Valley State) last week for depth. The secondary continued to have breakdowns in the spring game.
The Tigers lost a lot of pieces, and while it wasn’t exactly a prolific portal class, it did feature some nice replacements for draft losses such as Daniels at receiver. LSU will hope that’s enough to compete for a playoff spot in Year 1 of an expanded SEC.
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