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 Grant Chadwick, the punter transfer from Middle Tennessee State.
WHAT WE KNOW: After two years of solid play from Jay Bramblett, LSU’s punting took a serious step back in 2024.
Peyton Todd and Blake Ochsendorf battled in the fall, and neither was able to win the job outright. The media got a good look at multiple punting sessions in August, and there was zero consistency. That carried over.
LSU finished the season dead last in the SEC at just 39.6 yards per punt (126th of 134 nationally). Only once did LSU have a punt travel 50+ yards. Opponents had 16 against LSU. Just 12 of LSU’s 32 punts were downed inside the 20, meaning there were plenty of opportunities to let one fly.
Ochsendorf is out of eligibility, but Todd returns. Brian Kelly felt competition was necessary, so Grant Chadwick was brought over from Middle Tennessee.
Chadwick averaged 43.4 yards on 51 punts as a true freshman in 2024. That ranked No. 3 in Conference USA. Impressively, 13 of his punts traveled at least 50 yards with a season-long of 60 against Duke. Additionally, Chadwick buried 21 punts inside the 20.
The lanky, 6-foot-4 Chadwick lettered in football, basketball and soccer at Tullahoma High School in Tennessee.
THE FIT: The 2024 punting output was unacceptable for LSU. On paper, Chadwick cures that. He’s got a huge leg and showed distance control on shorter kicks.
Championship level teams have to excel across the board, and even though this area of the game doesn’t garner much preseason discussion, it can be huge.
Not only is Chadwick talented, he’s young. Assuming things continue the way they started at Middle Tennessee State, Chadwick will have three seasons to punt in Baton Rouge.
HUNT’S PROJECTION: Theoretically, this is the easiest projection I’ll make in this series. Fifty-yard punts in Conference USA are 50-yard punts in the SEC. Chadwick has already produced the former as a true freshman. Sure, return men are more dangerous in the SEC. There are more fans in the stands and watching on TV, but a punt is a punt.
I think Chadwick is the guy. Perhaps Todd keeps his holding duties. LSU had some issues in the field goal operation this year, but Todd was pretty good there.
LSU shouldn’t finish last in the SEC in anything, including punting.
