Transfer portal season could appear notably different for the Tigers compared to the past two years. For the class of 2023, LSU coach Brian Kelly brought in 14 new additions, including 11 on defense. The class of 2022 followed a similar trajectory, with 15 joining the program. While that was exciting and brought in some stellar players, Coach Kelly spoke to the media on Monday and explained his adjusted strategy heading into 2024.
LSU coach Brian Kelly looking forward to a much more focused transfer portal approach
When it comes to the transfer portal, there are so many different ways to approach it. Some programs like Clemson pretend it doesn’t exist, while Colorado brought in over 50 new players last cycle.
While Coach Brian Kelly doesn’t possess a radical view of the portal, he certainly isn’t averse to using it. Having acquired nearly 30 players over the last two offseasons, he has done a spectacular job of bringing in fresh faces to help build his program.
However, while Tiger fans had an incredibly busy past two cycles, the class of 2024 could look quite a bit different. Earlier this week, he was asked about his strategy this year, and while he wouldn’t rule out a strong presence, it sounds as though it will be a matter of selectively filling holes than anything else.
“Will we have to take a player here or there at a certain position? Most likely,” the Tiger head coach said when asked about his transfer portal strategy in 2023. “So we are much more targeted, we are much more focused.”
Coach Kelly wants to construct a sustainable program, and a major part of that is ensuring you have talent, but also youth to build on.
He elaborated on his explanation, stating, “At the end of the day, the decisions that I have to make are in the best interest of LSU’s football program.”
Is a quarterback addition in the works?
While he may not plan to place significant emphasis on the transfer portal in 2023, some positions are certainly on Coach Brian Kelly’s radar for the 2024 season. Interestingly, quarterback could be one of those spots.
Despite being fairly set with their signal callers, the Tiger head coach didn’t exactly dismiss the idea of adding an extra player to the quarterback room.
Still, if he were to pursue something like that, he understands how important communication would be through the entire process.
“This is a world that we live in that has got to be handled with transparency,” coach Kelly said on Monday. “If not, you’re gonna find yourself without the right personnel. If we were to ever do anything in the transfer portal relative to a quarterback, we’re talking to everybody in that room.”
He continued the sentiment by saying, “We’re talking to recruits, we’re talking to everybody. It is about transparency, it’s about honesty and it’s about saying, if we’re doing that, here’s why we’re doing it, and then making a decision and doing it. Again, the most important thing here is what’s in the best interest of LSU’s football program, not what’s in the best interest of a singular person. So, everything that we do in the portal is going to be to that end.”
It’s yet to be seen just how many players the LSU football team will take coming off of a 9-3 season in 2023. After all, coach Brian Kelly appears to be confident in his roster heading into the next season. Still, don’t be surprised a big-time addition or two before things are all said and done.
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