By Hunt Palmer
LSU blitzed the transfer portal in December and totally reshaped the 2025 roster. It’s all part of a program shift toward NIL and portal additions.
In this series, we’re going to look at all of the transfers Brian Kelly and his staff brought in to assess where they fit and what our projections are for them in 2025 and beyond.
Next up is Jimari Butler, the defensive end transfer from Nebraska.
WHAT WE KNOW: Butler is big. And Buter is old.
The Nebraska transfer is 6-foot-5 and 260 lbs. He was born two weeks before Bradyn Swinson.
Butler got to Nebraska in 2020. He did not play. Then he redshirted in 2021, playing in just two games.
Over the last three seasons, he’s played 34 games with 16 starts all 16 of which have come in the last two years. He made 34 tackles in 2023 and 22 more this past season. Those are pedestrian numbers, but he has made those plays count. Seventeen of the stops have been for a loss, and he’s credited with 7.5 sacks.
I would be a fan of FSU pursuing Jimari Butler in the portal. 6-5, 260 DE with one year remaining. Has a 10.6% pressure rate (48 total pressures) over the last 2 years.
Watch how Tony White stunts him from a 4-tech to the A-gap for a 3rd down sack. https://t.co/B7VvWEpzgL pic.twitter.com/Bjnvs0HJ9D
— Clay Fink (@clay_fink) December 3, 2024
Butler was graded a 61.9 for the 2024 season by Pro Football Focus. His highest pass rush grade was a 67.4, and he never dipped below 54.3 there. It was steady.
Against the run, Butler had more ups and downs. He had three grades just above 70 and two below 42 including a 29.8 against USC.
He tackled well with six tackling grades above 72.
THE FIT: Butler fits the profile of Sai’vion Jones. He and Jack Pyburn are physical at the point of attack and have multiple years of production to back that up against the run.
Patrick Payton moreso resembles what Brayden Swinson brought to the 2024 Tigers.
Several guys obviously flashed on Friday, but I thought Jimari Butler showed good things. Season-high 54 snaps at DE. Three tackles, 1.5 sacks and close to a couple more.
We might be seeing a jump in technique, too. Credit to Butler and DM coach Terrance Knighton. pic.twitter.com/bDvUG6z7gC
— Steve Marik (@Steve_Marik) October 9, 2023
Butler doesn’t feel like an All-SEC performer. He feels like a sure thing, though, to use his age and experience to set the edge of the LSU defense.
Based on one year of work, most trust Kevin Peoples to bring the Tiger defensive ends along. He did it with experienced players in 2024, and he’s got a host of them at his disposal in the spring and fall of 2025 as well.
HUNT’S PROJECTION: I think Butler splits time with Pyburn on one end while Gabriel Reliford and Patrick Payton split time on the other. I also think Butler can play on the interior in a Prowler front look on third downs.
I look for solid production, somewhere in the neighborhood of seven or eight tackles for loss and two to three sacks.
Not every portal add is going to be a first round pick. I don’t think Butler is. He’s an old, strong dude who figures to give LSU a lot of reps on defense in 2025.
