LSU Coach Ed Orgeron Responds to Potential Expansion of 2022 Class Size by NCAA

In the new age of the NCAA transfer portal, the trickle down effect has impacted every stage of college football, including recruiting and roster size. Last week, Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger reported that the NCAA is moving towards a one-year waiver that would expand the number of recruits allowed in the 2022 recruiting class.

The headline reason is because of COVID-19 but there's a not so subtle underlying reason which is the transfer portal. The portal has been very kind to LSU over the years, giving the purple and gold Joe Burrow, Cole Tracy, Jabril Cox and most recently Mike Jones Jr. and Major Burns.

But the double edged sword is that the team has also lost a number of players in the last year as well, including Marcel Brooks, Arik Gilbert, Chris Curry, Maurice Hampton and TJ Finley. As the rules currently stand, a college team is not allowed to exceed the 25 player limit in a class, including replacing a player that is lost due to transfer.

What the NCAA is now deliberating is that for every transfer out of a program, the program gets an additional scholarship to replace that player who left. It's been something that coach Ed Orgeron has been in support of for many years as the transfer portal becomes more prevalent in the college game.

"We need it, it's about time," Orgeron said. "If it wasn't because of COVID there's no way we could keep up with 85 [scholarships]. I don't know what they're gonna do, whether it's one [player] for one [player], I read that it was suggested one for one. Whatever it is, it's gonna help us, it's much needed and I think they know that."

LSU currently has 15 of the currently allowed 25 roster spots filled in the 2022 class and in the Tigers' particular case there is another factor to take into account. Because of various team infractions through recruiting, the program self imposed a four scholarship reduction on both the 2021 and 2022 rosters.

That doesn't necessarily have to impact the 2022 recruiting class as the team could reduce the number of scholarships on the current roster but it's a tricky situation that Orgeron as well as general manager Austin Thomas will have to maneuver.