Brian Kelly Details LSU's Transfer Portal Plans, Talks Approach
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It’s set to be an eventful month for college football. With Early Signing Day vastly approaching and the NCAA transfer portal opening up on Dec. 5, things are about to ramp up in a big way.
Monday marks the beginning of what is to come in collegiate athletics. This new era has brought significant change, mainly with the transfer portal and NIL. The sheer number of players already putting their name in the portal is significant and will only continue growing.
LSU coach Brian Kelly has detailed his thoughts on the portal and what LSU’s approach will be when it comes to extending offers and taking players from it.
Here are a few tidbits to know:
On Brian Kelly’s Approach
“They have got to be the right fit first,” Kelly said on Sunday. “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.”
Preferring to Develop Through Freshman Class
“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,” Kelly said. “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.
"So we need to grow and you've got to do that by recruiting freshmen and giving them the opportunity to step on the field and develop. And you can't do that if you keep bringing in freshmen at one position and then bringing a portal guy who has got one year and putting it in front of him."
Juggling Early Signing Day and the Portal
“It’s a really tight calendar,” Kelly said. “The portal opens on Monday. Decisions have to be made here quickly relative to who is going in. You’re up against it with visits, the amount of visits that you have.
“So this is going to be a very interesting couple of weeks here. You know, you’re going to have to be very — very calculating. You’re going to have to make some really tough decisions on your roster, and they are going to be difficult ones. And I think that that’s what these next couple of weeks are going to really look like.”
Second Transfer Portal Window, Filling Holes in May
“I think everybody has their own business plan,” Kelly said. “I think how we are using it internally, the second window is much more about how our guys develop. We are giving them an opportunity to develop and do the right things. Making sure they are going to class. Making good choices. Making good decisions. Doing it the right way in the weight room. Developing in the manner that we expect them to.
“And if not, then that portal opens up in May.”
