LSU Football: Former Five-Star DB Enters NCAA Transfer Portal
LSU defensive back Denver Harris is the latest Tiger to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal after officially placing his name in on Thursday evening.
Harris, who will now look for his third school in three years, departs LSU after a one-year stint. The former five-star prospect also spent one season at Texas A&M.
Now, it'll be another offseason of finding a new home for Harris as he continues to find a situation that suits him best. He played in just five games for the Bayou Bengals during the 2023 season after missing the back half of the schedule for unspecified reasons.
During his first few weeks with the program, Harris took time to adjust to the new scheme with Brian Kelly detailing the process.
“He’s learning our coverages,” Kelly said of Harris early in the year. “He’s a press corner, and we don’t just play press. There’s a lot of different things that he’s learning. This is new to him, but he’s learning. He wants to get better at it every day.”
Harris is the 11th Tiger to enter the Transfer Portal with several players already finding their next destination.
A look into who's departed and where they have landed:
The LSU Transfer Portal Tracker:
CB Duce Chestnut: Undecided
The Syracuse transfer's time in Baton Rouge was short-lived, playing in less than a handful of games, and will now search for his third home in three years.
Chestnut, along with Texas A&M transfer Denver Harris, have been away from the team for over two months as they navigate their next chapter.
Now, Chestnut reveals his next move after entering the free agency market. Harris' status remains up in the air.
“You know, we’ll have to sit down. We have not sat down with them,” Brian Kelly said of both Chestnut and Denver Harris. “We’re going to wait until the end of the semester and then we’ll sit down and have individual conversations with both of them.”
RB Armoni Goodwin: UAB
Goodwin, who did not receive any snaps this season for the Tigers, has battled injuries throughout his time with the program which saw his status on the depth chart drop significantly.
As a true freshman in 2021, Goodwin record 16 carries for 65 yards and zero touchdowns, but coming into Year 2 with the Tigers, he received significant snaps.
Goodwin entered the year as the Tigers' RB1 before a knee injury ended his season early. In his sophomore campaign, he totaled 45 carries for 267 yards and five touchdowns.
Once back in a rhythm during Fall Camp in 2023, Goodwin remained a player moving at half speed coming off of an injury.
Now, the former Top 150 prospect in America will head home to play for Trent Dilfer's UAB Blazers.
EDGE Quency Wiggins: Colorado
Former LSU defensive end Quency Wiggins has revealed his transfer destination after a short stint in the NCAA Transfer Portal. Wiggins, a youngster with significant upside, will head up to Colorado to suit up for Deion Sanders and the Buffaloes.
The former four-star, Top 50 prospect in the 2022 cycle, was a coveted player for the Tigers during the recruitment process.
One of the top defensive ends in America, the expectations were that Wiggins' development would hit at an efficient rate, but without a defensive line coach this season, his growth was stunted.
A raw, versatile defensive lineman, Wiggins became a hot commodity in the Transfer Portal.
A player who still has all of the intangibles of being an effective player at a Power Five program, the former blue-chipper now finds a new home with Sanders and Co.
DL Fitzgerald West: Undecided
It's been a unique two years in the purple and gold for West after switching from both sides of the ball during his time in Death Valley.
During the 2023 season, he made the transition to defense where he felt comfortable moving forward. Despite a lack of playing time, West has found his position for the future.
“I like it. I’m used to it. I’ve been playing it almost all my life so it’s natural for me," West said. "I’d say the transition learning plays and stuff though, it’s not too hard for me. I pretty much know the scheme, so I know my assignment every play.”
OL Marlon Martinez: Mississippi State
LSU offensive lineman Marlon Martinez entered the NCAA Transfer Portal after four seasons in Baton Rouge. The savvy veteran announced his transfer to Mississippi State this week.
Martinez, who primarily served as a backup for Brian Kelly's program, will enter as a graduate transfer with immediate eligibility at his next destination.
The 6-foot-5, 330-pounder out of Florida was a member of the Tigers' 2020 recruiting class and now looks to make an impact sooner rather than later after gaining SEC experience.
Martinez started four games for LSU in 45 games played over four seasons.
TE Jackson McGohan: Wisconsin
McGohan, one of three freshman tight ends in the Tigers' 2023 recruiting class, revealed his decision to transfer to Wisconsin.
After playing in eight games in Year 1, McGohan's skill set intrigued those within the program, but the LSU tight end depth chart remains stacked.
Junior Mason Taylor will return for the 2024 season along with freshmen Mac Markway and Ka'Morreun Pimpton. The Tigers also went out and added JUCO prospect Connor Gilbreath in July as well despite his outlook appearing to be at offensive line moving forward.
Looking ahead to the future, the Tigers also reeled in coveted prospect Trey'Dez Green in the 2024 class. A four-star Louisiana native, he'll also look to compete for reps early.
DL Bryce Langston: Undecided
Langston, a former four-star prospect, signed with the Tigers in 2021, but only played in four games in the purple and gold over his time in Louisiana.
A Sunshine State native, Langston was one of the top signees for the Tigers in the 2021 cycle, but never received adequate playing time with the program.
Now, after remaining with the program and patiently waiting in an era when it's easy to depart in the blink of an eye, Langston has made a business decision in search of playing time.
The 6-foot-3, 293-pounder became the fourth LSU Tiger to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal, joining running backs Armoni Goodwin and Kevontre Bradford along with cornerback Laterrance Welch at the time.
RB Kevontre Bradford: North Texas
Bradford signed with LSU out of high school in 2020, but after just one season with the Tigers, he announced his departure before committing to Oklahoma.
Despite leaving Baton Rouge and heading to the Big 12, Bradford didn’t even play a snap with the Sooners.
The Texas native would then depart Oklahoma and return to the Tigers once again for his second stint, but stepped away from the team completely before the 2022 season.
It had been nearly two years since Bradford took a snap at the college level, and with Kelly giving him a third chance, it added depth to the running back room.
Now, Bradford departs once again with an opportunity to receive snaps at North Texas, his transfer destination. After taking the first reps of the season at running back against Florida State in Week 1, Bradford didn't take another snap.
CB Laterrance Welch: Arizona State
A former four-star, Top 150 prospect in the 2022 cycle, Welch is a player with significant upside as he navigates the next chapter of his playing career. He recently revealed Arizona State as his transfer destination.
Welch played in 96 snaps on defense this season, according to PFF, while also taking reps with the special teams unit.
For the Tigers, there remains concern surrounding their defensive backfield with a lack of depth moving forward.
As it stands, LSU holds Zy Alexander, Duce Chestnut, Denver Harris, JK Johnson, Sage Ryan, Ashton Stamps, Javien Toviano and Jeremiah Hughes, among others moving forward.
Both Chestnut and Harris did not suit up for the Tigers during the back half of the 2023 season for unspecified reasons while Johnson missed the year after suffering a lower-body injury that required surgery.
