The Transfer Portal has given College Football teams the ability to reload or build up their team every year by adding experienced players rather than counting on the development of younger players. Teams like Ohio State, Oregon, Ole Miss, Texas, and Texas A&M went out and built up their rosters while some like Clemson are against it. This offseason, LSU made some additions but, the issue is the additions haven't panned out like the staff would've hoped.
Transfers Austin Ausberry and Jyaire Brown haven't really contributed to the team outside of their play on Special Teams. On Special Teams the Tigers brought in Punter Blake Ochsendorf but, he's averaging less than 40 yards per punt.
Transfer Quarterback AJ Swann took his first and only snap of the Season on Saturday completing a pass for two yards.
Adding Wide Receiver CJ Daniels from Liberty was seen as the biggest addition for LSU this offseason in the portal. Last season, Daniels caught 55 passes for 1,067 yards and ten touchdowns for Liberty. This season CJ Daniels has been injured but, he's only recorded 32 catches for 368 yards and has been kept out of the endzone. In LSU's four losses he's only contributed 94 yards on 11 catches.
Zavion Thomas has given LSU the biggest impact out of every transfer that they brought in this offseason. Thomas has been excellent as a punt and kick returner while giving LSY some solid snaps on offense catching 18 passes for 180 yards.
Jardin Gilbert was an experienced SEC veteran that the Tigers chose to bring in to give them snaps at Safety. Thus far, Gilbert hasn't been the fix that LSU was looking for as he's taken some bad angles in the run game and has missed some tackles. Its hard to blame just one player for the units overall failure but, the Tigers would've been in a much better spot with a true difference maker on the back end.
The Tigers waited until the Spring to address their holes at defensive tackle but, by the time that happens you're looking at a much smaller pool of players that either command a higher NIL price, are coming from a lower level, or weren't in line for playing time at their first school. Gio Paez and Jay'Viar Suggs and while neither player has been bad, they haven't been the difference makers the defense is lacking.
The Tigers need to go all in this offseason using the portal
This offseason, LSU will likely lose key difference making pieces like Will Campbell, Emery Jones, Kyren Lacy, Mason Taylor, and Bradyn Swinson to the NFL which will only hurt LSU in the talent department. If the Tigers are going to compete with the top teams in the Country, LSU needs to use the transfer portal to go out and land some true difference makers to cut that talent gap.