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PALMER: LSU delivered on promises early, work remains

Dec 16, 2024 | 12:14 PM

By Hunt Palmer

LSU got better over the weekend.

After two weeks of steady entrants into the transfer portal, Brian Kelly and his staff began to restock the proverbial shelves with an influx of talent from the portal.

This is the new reality in college football.

Often times the junior class is the most impactful in a college football program. At least that has been the case for a few decades. The stars from that class would theoretically be a year away from the NFL, and depth pieces will have had enough development time to contribute.

LSU’s 2023 high school signing class has been decimated.

Of the six highest ranked prospects in that class, only Javien Toviano remains on campus, and he didn’t start a game in 2024.

Zalance Heard starts for Tennessee. DaShawn Womack is at Ole Miss. Jalen Brown plays for Florida State. Shelton Sampson never made a catch at LSU. Jaxon Howard went back home to Minnesota.

In all, 16 of the 26 signees are gone, and Trey Holly is not with the program. Only Ashton Stamps, Whit Weeks and DJ Chester have emerged as starters.

The gutting of that class created a significant amount of needs in the portal. LSU chipped away at those with five additions over the weekend.

It started with Bauer Sharp, the physical tight end from Oklahoma. He makes up for the loss of Ka’Morreun Pimpton from the 2023 class. Sharp can handle himself at the point of attack and led an anemic Oklahoma passing game in catches.

Ja’Keem Jackson followed Corey Raymond from Florida. There was a time that five or six pros roamed the Tiger secondary annually. That time had passed the last handful of years. Raymond is working toward that return, and Jackson qualifies. So does DJ Pickett.

Barion Brown’s addition from Kentucky is exciting if puzzling. Brown is an electrifying playmaker with the ball in his hands. You don’t luck into five kickoff return touchdowns. LSU has returned exactly two kicks for touchdowns in Tiger Stadium since 1981. Brown has five in three years. That said, his skillset is similar to Chris Hilton and Zavion Thomas who LSU returns to the roster.

Sai’vion Jones and Bradyn Swinson leave a huge whole on LSU’s defensive edge. Womack’s departure exacerbates it. Enter Jimari Butler. His numbers won’t blow you away, but he did make three tackles for loss with a sack against Ohio State in 2024. His floor is very high, and Kevin Peoples worked wonders with Jones and Swinson.

The toughest needle to thread for Kelly in this offseason is quarterback. Players generally don’t line up in the portal to sit on the bench. Any quarterback head to Baton Rouge for 2025 likely has some pine time in his future with Garrett Nussmeier returning.

LSU roped in Michael Van Buren from Mississippi State who started seven games as a true freshman. He threw for 300-plus yards twice including at Georgia, and he’s got good athleticism. LSU was never going to land a Cam Ward or Dillon Gabriel type of quarterback in this cycle. To get a proven SEC starter into the program is a heck of a pull.

Still, work remains to be done.

LSU needs help along the offensive line as 80 percent of the starting unit walks out the door. Perhaps Virginia Tech’s Braelin Moore can help at center. LSU badly needs a talent infusion at safety. Wide receiver could use a proven possession type.

For weeks we had heard that LSU was set up to be aggressive in the portal with eyes on a playoff run next season.

After a week of action, it appears those promises were fulfilled. LSU’s roster is better today than it was on Friday. It needs to be better Labor Day weekend than it is now, though.

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