Prized LSU Football Defensive Lineman Displays Eye-Opening Body Transformation

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers continue navigating a pivotal offseason in Baton Rouge with the 2025 season right around the corner.

After working through the NCAA Transfer Portal, Spring Camp, SEC Media Days and summer workouts, the Bayou Bengals are inching closer to Week 1 at Clemson.

LSU has had a productive offseason with the program preparing to see multiple second-year Tigers take that next step in year two with the program.

One rising-sophomore that has generated buzz across the last handful of months is defensive lineman Gabriel Reliford.

Reliford returns for year two with the Tigers where he will be competing for playing time alongside multiple fresh faces, but one thing is certain, he made a name for himself during Spring Camp.

The Louisiana native enters his second season in the purple and gold with tremendous upside for the program.

Reliford has lived in the weight room ever since arriving in Baton Rouge. He's up to 270 pounds and has carved out a role as a player prepared to take that next step in 2025.

The youngster saw limited action during his true freshman campaign in 2024 after totaling 10 tackles and 0.5 sacks in 13 games played.

But Reliford's sophomore campaign will be one to monitor with the Bayou State native handling business during summer workouts.

He'll enter the 2025 season hovering around 6-foot-2, 268 pounds.

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Reliford will be competing for playing time in a loaded edge rushers room for the LSU Tigers after the program reeled in multiple transfer additions this offseason.

Kelly and Co. signed headliner Patrick Payton [Florida State] alongside Jack Pyburn [Florida] and Jimari Butler [Nebraska].

LSU's two-deep depth chart at the edge rusher position is one that has generated significant buzz this offseason with Reliford, Payton, Pyburn and Butler preparing to handle business in Baton Rouge.

For Pyburn, the Florida transfer will be a name to keep tabs on after making a name for himself in the SEC already with the Gators.

Pyburn is fresh off of a 2024 season where he logged 60 total tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack and one interception while starting the last eight games of the year.

In three seasons with the Gators, Pyburn logged 80 total tackles with his "coming out season" being in 2024.

He's explosive at the point of attack with his twitchiness being on full display during Spring Camp in both March and April.

But why LSU for Pyburn? What led the talented SEC EDGE to Baton Rouge this offseason?

“My whole journey my whole life, I felt like I’ve been trying to prove a lot of people wrong. You know, people told me I couldn’t do certain things: I couldn’t be this, I couldn’t be that, I couldn’t make it to play at this level of football," Pyburn said during Spring Camp.

"And overall, at this point in my life, I decided to take a chance on myself and stop buying and listening to those kind of thoughts and just believe in myself. You know, prove myself right.

"And that’s why I’m here is to prove myself right. I’m not here to prove anyone wrong. I’m here to prove myself right of my abilities and what I can do. And I’m just ready to show the country who I really am.”

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