Losing Bryce Underwood’s commitment? Yeah, that definitely lit a fire under LSU’s recruiting hustle. Now they’re out here grinding, pulling in 14 kids from the portal already—pretty solid, right? With the playoff dream now out of reach, they recently secured a bowl victory over Baylor, providing a much-needed sense of renewal. But let’s be real—if they want to stack more wins next season, snagging top talent is the only way. So, for now, it’s portal season, baby. Let’s see how they cook.

If you think 14 target additions is a big milestone, then wait until you read Brian Kelly’s master plan for the LSU Tigers. The program is not just stopping at that, as LSU’s insider Matt Moscona hypes two silent transfer targets getting into the scene, saying, “On December 21st, before Christmas, Brian Kelly mentioned they were aiming for around 15 additions, and here they are at 14. There are even reports of silent commits from a safety and an offensive lineman currently playing in the College Football Playoff. This week, LSU is bringing in three new portal targets: two defensive backs and a tight end.”

He can’t say who this silent transfer target is, but with recent advancements, there are possibilities that LSU Tigers might host the top-ranking unsigned safety, Tamarcus Cooley, in the transfer portal. Well, Cooley is a red shirt freshman who began his career from Maryland in 2023 before his breakout year.

Apart from Cooley, LSU will also host another top transfer portal target, Donovan Green, from Texas A&M. Well, this could be a moment of revenge for Brian Kelly and the team, as Donovan rejected many top SEC teams, including LSU. See, for now, the team is already building a strong offseason team with players like Patrik Payton, the no. 1 edge rusher in the entire portal.

So, it’s not wrong to say that LSU is learning from their mistakes. Now it’s not a new thing that LSU needs to build up a strong defense if they want to stand strong in next season. Remember their game against the Florida Gators, where they gave up big plays and struggled to finish off drives? That’s what urging them to make big moves.

LSU reviving their defense through transfer portal

Let’s just get straight to the point: LSU’s defense this season? Yeah, let’s just say it’s been about as solid as a paper bag in a rainstorm. Even if we forget the Florida Gators, their showdown against Alabama was also like a real comedy show. During the game, Bama’s star quarterback, Jalen Milroe, casually strolled into the end zone, scoring four touchdowns while LSU’s defense looked like they were asking for his autograph mid-play. This resulted in a 13-42 beat down later. So one thing is pretty clear, the Tigers couldn’t stop a run game even if their season depended on it.

However, Brian Kelly is a smart guy and knows what is best for his team. That’s the reason he is out there filling gaps in the team by adding 6 of Rival’s top 61 players, including defensive linemen like Sydir Mitchell from Texas. Even Cooper looks pretty satisfied from his decision as he says, “What they’ve been able to do, I think, is really, really encouraging from somebody that follows the program and seems like a team in Year 3 under Brian Kelly that had a lot more holes than you would expect.” Well, the team also got no. 2 cornerback in the portal, and that’s Mansoor Delane.

It looks like Brian Kelly is really on to some mission. LSU’s aggressive approach to building a strong team this season has not gone unnoticed, as they rank no. 1 in the recruiting portal. Even journalist Pat Forde praised Brian Kelly’s vision, plus his ability to gain such high-end players in mass numbers, saying, “It’s a program that would be expected to be active in the transfer portal.” LSU’s out of the playoffs—no shocker there. But now, they’re intensely focusing on the portal grind. Right now, their main priority is this, and to be frank, it seems like a chaotic competition. Will this crazy haul actually fix their issues or just add more chaos? Guess we’ll just have to sit back, grab some popcorn, and watch how it all plays out.