LSU Football Has Room For Two Graduate Transfers With 23 Signees on Board

With 23 signees officially on board, LSU will now look to hit the graduate transfer market to fill its final two spots of the 2021 class. The grad transfer market has been extremely kind to the Tigers under Ed Orgeron's leadership.

Of course three years ago the Tigers landed quarterback Joe Burrow and kicker Cole Tracy as foundational pieces to the best two year stretch the program had seen in many years. Then last season came the additions of center Liam Shanahan and linebacker Jabril Cox, who had a great lone season in Baton Rouge and is likely a second round pick in April's NFL draft.

On Tuesday, LSU officially landed wide receiver Brian Thomas and with his addition to a stacked class, Orgeron can now focus on the grad transfer market.

“Experience tells me to save a couple of scholarships to get great graduate transfers,” Orgeron said. “I wouldn’t want to go into the spring not having spots for great graduate transfers or anybody in the transfer portal. It doesn’t hurt to have maybe two or three scholarships to fill with transfers at specific needs."

The major focus in the transfer portal for the Tigers seems to be the linebacker position. LSU is returning two veterans, Damone Clark and Micah Baskerville, who both spent time playing opposite Cox a season ago and both had their ups and downs.

This figures to be an important developmental offseason for freshmen Josh White and Antoine Sampah as well. White played sparingly down the stretch of the 2020 season while Sampah didn't play much, appearing in four games and will return as a redshirt freshman. True freshman inside linebacker Greg Penn out of the Washington D.C. area is also another name to keep an eye on as a new addition to the linebacker group.

But perhaps the biggest addition of late is JUCO transfer Navonteque Strong, one of the top junior college inside linebackers in the country. Strong is already on campus and is built physically and mentally to play middle linebacker in the 4-3 defense that LSU plays. Powerful frame, good lateral quickness, sudden and quite instinctive best describe Strong and his middle linebacker traits.

However, LSU could use a little more depth and because new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones wants to fit schemes to the players, having as many versatile talents to anchor the middle of the field will be an important addition to the class.

“I do believe we’ll have at least two, or maybe three, and that we’re looking at specific needs — especially at linebacker," Orgeron said. "If we feel that there’s some linebackers that can come in here and help us immediately, we’re going to go after ‘em.”

There are hundreds of players in the transfer portal at the moment and linebacker secures a wealthy portion of them. Tennessee alone has four linebackers in the portal including once highly valued recruits Henry To'o To'o and J.J. Peterson.

Another position that comes to mind is tight end. Currently the Tigers have just Kole Taylor and Jalen Shead as scholarship players on the roster so an extra body for that group would be welcomed as well.

The 2021 class is nearly complete and the shift can now move forward to 2022 and beyond. Landing one or two players from the transfer portal could help a position like linebacker or tight end with some depth issues. It'll be interesting to follow which players LSU settles in on.