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 Mansoor Delane, the defensive back transfer from Virginia Tech.
WHAT WE KNOW: LSU had 12 corners drafted between 2013 and 2022. Eight of those went in the first three rounds. In the last two drafts only two corners have been drafted, and both, Jay Ward (4th) and Jarrick Bernard-Converse (6th) were later picks.
Corey Raymond is working toward a talent infusion, and Delane is presumably part of that.
He’s got that Raymond size at 6-foot-1 and 187 lbs. And he’s played a lot. He played in eight games as a freshman, starting four at corner. He managed to lead Virginia Tech is pass breakups that year with eight. He also made an interception.
As a full-time starter the last two seasons, he’s played 25 games and made 108 tackles, broken up 13 passes and made five interceptions.
He was Third-Team All-ACC in 2024.
Delane has played outside corner and slot corner for the Hokies.
THE FIT: Delane is a chess piece that LSU can move around depending on which other players step up. We can’t know today how ready DJ Pickett is. Is Ja’Keem Jackson healthy and ready to contribute? Is Tamarcus Cooley a nickel or a safety?
Delane may be asked to play boundary corner opposite Jackson/Pickett/Stamps. They may want him closer to the line of scrimmage. He’s made a lot of tackles over two seasons.
Delane feels like the most proven college piece to this secondary. What happens around him will dictate the fit.
HUNT’S PROJECTION: I’m high on Jackson’s ability and think Pickett will become a starter. I think Delane and Stamps become the nickel and dime players with Cooley moving back to safety.
That, to me, is a major talent upgrade for LSU.
Delane is going to start, and I think he’ll make a major impact similar to what he did at Virginia Tech. Somewhere in the 50-60 tackle range, a handful of breakups and a pick or two sounds about right.
I think Delane is a mid-round pick in the spring of 2026.
