Priority LSU defensive line transfer portal target expected to make final decision today

Yesterday evening, LSU football received some less than ideal news as elite defensive tackle Damonic Williams chose Oklahoma as his transfer choice over the Tigers and Texas, among other schools. However, not all hope is lost, as talented LSU defensive line target Simeon Barrow is expected to select between LSU, Miami and Missouri later today.

Priority LSU defensive line target expected to make final transfer decision later today

Head coach Brian Kelly, defensive line coach Bo Davis and the LSU football program first got in contact with talented former Michigan State defensive lineman Simeon Barrow in mid-April, and they haven’t shown any sign of slowing down since.

The LSU defensive line room has been a concern all offseason, primarily due to a lack of depth and top-end talent, so landing a big-time veteran piece like that of Barrow would do wonders in terms of shoring up the group prior to the start of the 2024 college football season.

Luckily for the purple and gold, it doesn’t sound like they’ll need to wait much longer, as Pete Nakos of On3 reported yesterday that a final decision could come as soon as later today.

NEWS: Michigan State transfer defensive lineman Simeon Barrow has visited LSU, Miami and Missouri. Now he’s ready to make a decision, he tells @On3sports.

“I’m thinking about making a decision tomorrow.”

Breakdown of three schools: https://t.co/2YqrgU80IV pic.twitter.com/Qv7JsEwxBo

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos_) May 3, 2024

While calling this transfer portal target a “must-have” might be a bit exaggerated, it’s a pretty safe bet to say that this is looking like one of the most important battles of the entire offseason thus far.

Barrow, rated as the No. 3 available defensive lineman in the portal, according to 247Sports, has about as much experience as anyone in the sport of college football. With three seasons of starting reps under his belt, the rising senior out of Grovetown, GA, recorded 110 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks during his time with the Spartans.

Important to note is that Barrow isn’t the only big-time defensive tackle that LSU defensive line coach Bo Davis has his eyes on this transfer portal window. The Tigers are also right in the midst of a heated battle for Kent State standout CJ West – the No. 2 available defensive lineman.

While it won’t necessarily be the end of the world if the purple and gold aren’t able to land either of the talented transfer targets, it’d certainly be a hard pill to swallow for a defensive group looking to show major improvement in year one under new defensive coordinator Blake Baker.

For now, the current position room includes several high-potential players such as talented newcomers Ahmad Breaux, Dominick McKinley, Gio Paez and Shone Washington, as well as solid veterans Jacobian Guillory, Jalen Lee and Kimo Makane’ole.

Thank you for reading LSU Glory. For more LSU Glory content, covering all things LSU athletics, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email us at lsuglory.fr@gmail.com or direct message us on our Twitter account. It is thanks to your support that we can continue to grow into one of the fastest-growing and most influential LSU media outlets there is.