LSU offensive lineman Kardell Thomas has confirmed he will enter the NCAA Transfer Portal as a graduate transfer.
A Baton Rouge native, Thomas will have two years of eligibility remaining after playing in just four games for the Tigers in 2022, which included the Citrus Bowl victory over Purdue.
Thomas was a member of the 2019 national championship squad led by Joe Burrow, Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase, but suffered a preseason ankle injury that sidelined him.
Thomas, a versatile offensive lineman, will have a line of suitors as he enters his name into the transfer portal on the final day college athletes can do so.
Brian Kelly’s Transfer Portal Message:
“They have got to be the right fit first,” Kelly said. “They have to recognize the value of an education from LSU. They have to have the right traits. We are not just open for business. We’re not just putting a sign up saying, hey, we are going to take whoever. They have to be the right fit. I prefer that they are from the state of Louisiana if we can find them. And then we are going to address needs based upon how that freshman class marries into it by the particular needs by position class.
“So we are not going to overload a particular position group. In other words, if we have got three or four wide receivers that are freshmen coming in, you may not see a heavy influence in the portal in that position.
“We are going to develop based upon our freshman class, too. So we are doing this at the same time, and also allowing our program to be younger, too. We want to bring both of these along. We don’t always want to be a turn-it-over program where we are bringing in transfers and turning the program over.”
