Every coach is learning on the fly to an extent about the new reality brought upon by the transfer portal, but Brian Kelly is adjusting better than most.
He landed one of the nation’s best transfer classes last offseason, and after reaching ten wins with that group, he’s using the portal to retool again. LSU once again aggressively went after help in the secondary, landing four game-ready corners. The Tigers also landed former five-star Alabama receiver Aaron Anderson and Oregon State linebacker Omar Speights, a First Team All-Pac-12 selection in 2022.
With those additions, LSU boasts the No. 3 transfer portal class in the country, per the 247Sports transfer rankings, and 247 named the Tigers one of the winners from the initial window.
The Tigers have gone heavy in the transfer portal for the second season in a row. And while they’ve had nice additions outside of the secondary, I really want to zero in on the team’s cornerback takes. LSU didn’t just land one impact corner. The Tigers brought in FOUR. Here’s the breakdown:
Denver Harris – No. 3 overall prospect, No. 2 cornerback
Zy Alexander – No. 16 overall prospect, No. 4 cornerback
Duce Chestnut – No. 63 overall prospect, No. 8 cornerback
JK Johnson – Transfer portal rating of 91LSU had to be aggressive in the portal last year fixing its cornerback room after several notable departures. This class did much the same, only it added future depth as well. There are plug-and-play experienced players, like Chestnut and Alexander, with young, talented pieces like Harris and Johnson also coming over with multiple remaining years of eligibility.
The Tigers have proven they can be successful with transfer additions, and with several veterans moving on, this team will look to transfers to make a major impact once again.
