Could LSU Baseball Pursue the SWAC Player of the Year in the Transfer Portal?

Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers continue roster reconstruction in Baton Rouge with the program looking to reload following a National Championship victory in 2025.

Johnson and Co. have secured commitments from a handful of players via the NCAA Transfer Portal as it currently stands, but remain active in the free agent market.

LSU holds pledges from a trio of left-handed pitchers in Danny Lachenmayer (NDSU), Ryler Smart (Tennessee) and Santiago Garcia (Oregon) alongside infielders Brayden Simpson (High Point) and Seth Dardar (Kansas State).

Could the program look down the road for their next Transfer Portal target?

Southern University outfielder Cardell Thibodeaux revealed his intentions of entering the NCAA Transfer Portal on Tuesday.

The SWAC Player of the Year is coming off of a dominant 2025 campaign after holding .435 batting average, 13 doubles, 3 triples, 18 homers and 71 RBIs and 23 stolen bases.

TRANSFER: #SWAC Player of the Year and Southern U OF Cardell Thibodeaux has entered the Transfer Portal. Thibodeaux had a monster 2025 campaign that ended with a .435 average, 13 doubles, 3 triples, 18 homers and 71 RBIs + 23 stolen bases.

Profile: https://t.co/fwAmIRqfKO… pic.twitter.com/HjXjOnnGTv
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) July 1, 2025

Thibodeaux entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on the final day where he will now become one of the hottest names in the market.

The Louisiana native previously suited up for the UL-Monroe Warhawks prior to making his way to Baton Rouge to play for Southern.

Now, he's back in the Transfer Portal in search of a new home.

LSU returns outfielders Derek Curiel and Jake Brown, among others, heading into the 2025 season.

Could they target the SWAC Player of the Year? Time will tell, but the highly-touted prospect will be pursued by several programs during his process.

The Tigers hold commitments from five transfers to this point. Who's in?

The LSU Additions [5]:

No. 1: Brayden Simpson - Infielder

The LSU Tigers landed a commitment from High Point infielder Brayden Simpson in June as the program's first portal addition.

Simpson, one of the top prospects in the NCAA Transfer Portal, is coming off of a career season in North Carolina.

The coveted infielder primarily handled business as a third baseman for High Point this past season where he shined for his Panthers squad.

Simpson had a dominant two-year stretch at High Point with his 2025 campaign quickly putting his name on the map.

He rounded out the season batting .389 with 22 home runs, 77 RBI and a .477 on base percentage this past season.

Simpson is a Swiss Army Knife in the infield and has also spent some time at first base in 2024 and second base in 2023.

In 2024, the talented High Point transfer started in all 62 games where he batted .300 with 12 home runs and 45 RBI. He started in 58 games this year.

No. 2: Seth Dardar - Infielder

Dardar, a Louisiana native, began his career at Columbia prior to making the move to join the Kansas State Wildcats.

During the 2025 season, he logged a team best .326 batting average with 18 doubles and a 1.065 OPS.

A consistent hitter, Dardar tallied 60 hits, 45 RBI and 13 home runs last season for his Wildcats squad.

The New Orleans (La.) Holy Cross standout started in 50 games for Kansas State on his way to becoming a coveted transfer in the portal.

Now, he's made his move. Dardar will head home to suit up for the Bayou Bengals in his final season of eligibility.

No. 3: Danny Lachenmayer - Pitcher [NDSU]

Lachenmayer, a coveted freshman in the NCAA Transfer Portal, selected the National Champion LSU Tigers over the Arkansas Razorbacks after visiting Fayetteville last week.

The talented southpaw was used as a relief option in 2025 for the Bison where he made 24 appearances and recorded nine saves for North Dakota State.

Lachenmayer pitched 38 innings with a 2.37 ERA, 56 strikeouts, 18 walks and a .192 batting average against him during his freshman campaign.

No. 4: Ryler Smart - Pitcher [Tennessee]

Smart, a Top-25 rated left-hander in the 2024 Recruiting Cycle, signed with the Volunteers after prepping at Pearland (Tex.).

The 6-foot-4, 236-pounder redshirted during his lone season in Knoxville after recovering from injury.

Smart was rated as the No. 183 overall prospect in the 2024 Recruiting Cycle and the No. 25 left-handed pitcher prior to signing with the Volunteers.

Now, he heads to Baton Rouge after committing to Johnson and Co. following a visit with the program this week.

No. 5: Santiago Garcia - Pitcher [Oregon]

Garcia, a relief pitcher for the Big Ten program in 2025, handled business with the Ducks during his lone season in Eugene (Ore.).

The talented southpaw appeared in 22 games in 2025 for the Ducks where he finished with a 3-0 record and an ERA of 4.18.

Garcia also recorded four saves where he served as one of the team’s relief pitchers; getting 28.0 innings of work to throw 38 strikeouts to only 18 walks.

Prior to making his way to join the Oregon Ducks, Garcia spent one season at Central Arizona Community College where he pitched 23.2 innings with a 3.04 ERA, striking out 38 batters.

LSU has now added three left-handed pitchers via the NCAA Transfer Portal with Johnson and Co. attacking the free agent market.

More LSU News:

LSU Football Wide Receiver Donating NIL Money Back to High School for Title Rings

LSU Football Holds Commitments From a Pair of Top-10 Wide Receivers in America

Brian Kelly's Take: LSU Football Searching for Ideal Starting Offensive Line Rotation

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU Tigers.