Lonn Phillips Sullivan
Jan 17, 20225 min
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
Since Head Coach Brian Kelly's arrival, the Tigers' new coaching staff continue to bolster LSU's tattered roster, even as the program lose some highly loved players themselves.
Let's take a look at who LSU have already reeled in and who they've lost since the portal opened for business late in the 2021 season:
TRANSFERS IN
MILES FRAZIER (OL) FIU
MYLES BRENNAN (QB) LSU (Entered Portal, Later Removing Name)
SLADE ROY (LS) East Carolina
MEKHI GARNER (CB) ULL
JOE FOUCHA (DB) Arkansas
GREG BROOKS JR (CB) Arkansas
NOAH CAIN (RB) Penn State
KYREN LACY (WR) ULL
WEST WEEKS (LB) Virginia
FRANK WILSON IV (DB) McNeese
JAY BRAMBLETT (P) Notre Dame
TRANSFERS OUT
MAX JOHNSON (QB) Texas A&M
DEION SMITH (WR) Ole Miss
LANDON JACKSON (DE) Arkansas
ELI RICKS (CB) Alabama
TREY PALMER (WR) Nebraska
DWIGHT MCGLOTHERN JR (CB) Arkansas
KOY MOORE (WR) TBD
DEVONTA LEE (WR) TBD
NATE HARRIS (SAFETY) TBD
ALEX ADAMS (WR) TBD
ERIC TAYLOR (DT) TBD
NAVONTEQUE STRONG (LB) TBD
What a job Brian Kelly, Brian Polian, and (more specifically) Frank Wilson have done to secure LSU some high 4 and 5 star talent right as the Tigers lost many of their key players over the past two seasons in just a matter of weeks....starting QB Max Johnson, starting CB Eli Ricks, a few supporting cast receivers, depth at both DB and WR becoming fodder for a litany of other teams.....namely Mickey Joseph's return to Nebraska pulling Trey Palmer and 3 star 2022 commit DeColdest Crawford.
In just the last while, LSU lost Devonta Lee and Dwight McGlothern made his transfer official, all while Trey Palmer announced he would head to Nebraska, before Sunday night's tweet from Nudie, heading to Arkansas.
During that time, the Tigers added three DBs, including the experienced & highly productive former Razorback senior Joe Foucha and his freshman teammate Gregory Brooks Jr (news broken by this author), Billy Napier's former ULL CB Mekhi Garner & his teammate WR Kyren Lacy, former Johnson brothers' Oconee High teammate West Weeks, and Baton Rouge native 5 star running back Noah Cain (Cain broken by Billy Embody of On3)......
It has been a busy time, which LSUOdyssey.com subscribers have had an unprecedented front row seat (for a site not controlled or run by the current media industrial complex....thus, we have been granted zero favors from that machine).
Regardless, we've kept you on the forefront of all info, just as you witnessed from our last transfer portal piece and here now let's keep you updated again, dear subscribers:
WHO WILL LSU TARGET NOW?
ANALYSIS
Wrapping up 27 tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 Sack, and 1 interception returned for a touchdown vs North Texas, Wingo enjoyed an influential freshman season over just 9 appearances.
Now, if I listen to the people I'm talking to, Wingo could very well be a Tiger in 2022.....thanks to one key factor perhaps giving the Tigers an edge:
Current LSU CBs Coach Robert Steeples is Wingo's former Head Coach from his time at De Smet High in Missouri, a strong leader who developed incredible bonds with his players.
Plus.....Mekhi Wingo is just a badass competitor who would explode at LSU; a DE possessing his wide ranging attributes would make it big on Kelly's 2022 roster.
Jamar Cain, LSU's new Defensive Line Coach, is leading the charge for Wingo's services.....Mekhi announces his decision tomorrow, Tuesday the 18th.
Likelihood: Very High
ANALYSIS
Based on his evaluation, OL Coach Brad Davis loves what he's seen on the Georgia native's film, becoming the very first offer for Shorts once his name entered the portal.
Likelihood: Very High to Lock
ANALYSIS
The former 5 star out of Mater Dei High first committed to Texas before staying home this past year at USC, catching 2 touchdowns, 21 passes & clocking 236 yards back in 2020.
He entered the transfer portal on January 13th and should become one of the most sought after receiving targets within the portal.
Will our new WRs Coach Cortez Hankton Jr go all in for the So Cal talent?
Or could McCoy opt to stay home with Caleb Williams headed his way?
The timing is odd, but if Caleb, the #1 QB of the 2021 class, transfers from Oklahoma to USC, following another 5 star WR Mario Williams, will McCoy feel his targets will disappear?
The timing also clearly shows Lincoln Riley's presence isn't keeping him from leaving and Cortez Hankton's former team, UGA, were among McCoy's first offers, clear back in May of 2017.
Though Hankton was unable to host McCoy for a visit, most of the So Cal man's visits stayed in or around the West Coast before making his commitment to Texas, decommitting, and eventually signing with USC.
He's an intriguing name to look out for & I expect Hankton to be more ambitious than he's ever been before on the recruiting trail, especially when he enters as LSU lose Koy Moore, Devonta Lee, Trey Palmer, Alex Adams and the elite Deion Smith from their Wide Receivers Room.
That's 5 guys....expect Hankton Jr to hit the ground running, but first things first: he will look to ensure he can keep hold of Brian Thomas Jr, one of the only WRs left who still has transfer questions lingering.
LSU have a high octane nucleus of impressive talents, Jack Bech, Malik Nabers, Chris Hilton Jr, Brian Thomas Jr, and new transfer Kyren Lacy, all backing up the #1 WR in America, Kayshon Boutte.........yet there's still room for more depth.
Whether a 5 star such as McCoy would leave USC for LSU is an intriguing story to keep both eyes on....
Likelihood: Uncertain but Positive
ANALYSIS
Naquan entered the portal this past week, and now the former 2021 LSU commit could be eyeing a return to LSU.
Processed in late 2020 during the 2021 recruiting cycle by Coach Ed Orgeron, Naquan never wanted to leave LSU, only being forced out of the program due to "other, higher transfer priorities". The nature of Brown's departure also left a bad taste in the mouth of fellow 2021 recruits or commits, some saying Brown's departure contributed to current USC Linebacker Raesjon Davis leaving LSU after 11 months of commitment....though the Davis family have dismissed that notion.
Brown is a talented linebacker, and when I texted Naquan the night of his announcement, asking the former 2021 Tiger commit if a future with LSU would be possible, he said "Yeah If I'd take a visit", opening the door for the Tigers to come and get their former linebacker.....first, by offering a visit back to Baton Rouge, the one he couldn't go on during the pandemic.
Naquan loved LSU....he most likely still does; new DC/LBs Coach Matt House should give him a chance; the Pitt freshman is another young man with Grade A hunger who was given a raw deal....I think Kelly & House would be magnetized to Naquan.
Likelihood: Uncertain but Positive
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
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