LSU Safety Major Burns Returning For Senior Season

Tigers return a key piece of their secondary, established veteran to unit that will be retooled this offseason.

LSU safety Major Burns will return to LSU for his senior season, he announced via social media on Thursday. A key piece to the Tigers defensive success, Burns provides this unit with a seasoned veteran for next season.

Burns suffered a brutal neck injury in 2022, sidelining him for a few games, but once back in game shape he didn’t skip a beat.

For LSU to return a piece of their secondary is a major victory for a unit that will be retooled this offseason.

Burns finished the 2022 season with 18 tackles and three pass breakups.

LSU Will Prioritize Cornerback in Transfer Portal:

With Jarrick Bernard-Converse and Colby Richardson out of eligibility, it puts this unit in a bind going forward. Another key factor is Mekhi Garner’s NFL Draft decision. The lockdown corner, who showcased All-SEC caliber play in his first season with the Tigers, leaves this cornerbacks room in a tough spot after entering the 2023 NFL Draft, but reeling in a few transfers is sure to help their case.

The Bayou Bengals are left with Sevyn Banks, Latterrance Welch and the incoming freshmen. Banks, who has battled the injury bug all season, would then be the only corner on this roster with significant experience.

It was always known the Tigers would need to attack the transfer portal when it came to the secondary this offseason. With the portal open, expect LSU to hit this position group with force even harder as they look to rebuild a room that, at times, showed consistency.

Brian Kelly’s Transfer Portal Message:

“They have got to be the right fit first,” Kelly said. “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.

“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. 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.”