Power of the portal: Mapping LSU Football’s 2025 transfer players

Recruiting in college football was traditionally thought of as a sales pitch to high schoolers to convince them to attend your school. The definition widened a bit when coaches would use the term to “re-recruit” draft-eligible upperclassmen to come back to school for another year. And since the introduction of the new NCAA transfer portal rules in 2018, recruiting has now expanded even more broadly.

The number of football players who have entered the transfer portal has increased dramatically every year, from 786 portal athletes in 2021 to 4,086 in 2025, as of press time.

And Brian Kelly has taken full advantage of it. LSU boasts 247Sports‘ No. 1-ranked and On3‘s No. 2-ranked portal class in the country, adding 18 new players with an average On3 rating of 83.83 (which also ranks No. 2).

For comparison, the Tigers ranked No. 48 last year with just nine portal additions averaging 69.14. In the past, LSU has primarily used the portal to shore up some depth at positions of need. This year, they nabbed multiple players who are competing for Week 1 starting spots. Here are some new names to keep an eye on this fall—and where they hail from.

Josh Thompson

Offensive lineman, Northwestern

Thompson brings a wealth of experience to LSU, having started 21 games the past two seasons, surrendering just 2 sacks in that time. He’s tallied 1,429 career offensive snaps.

Jimari Butler

Defensive end, Nebraska

Butler made a name for himself in his five years with Nebraska, racking up 65 career tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks in 36 games, earning an All-Big Ten honorable mention in 2023.

Michael Van Buren Jr.

Quarterback, Mississippi State

It’s not often a backup quarterback has several SEC starts, but the former Mississippi State signal-caller started the last eight games of 2024, throwing for 1,886 yards and 11 TDs with 5 rushing touchdowns on the year.

Barion Brown

Wide receiver, Kentucky

Brown has made his mark on the SEC after recording a conference-record 5 kickoff return touchdowns in his career. He leaves Kentucky with 3,273 all-purpose yards.

Nic Anderson

Wide receiver, Oklahoma

Anderson joins the Tigers after three seasons with the Sooners, headlined by a stellar redshirt freshman campaign where he caught 38 passes for 798 yards and 10 touchdowns—a school record for a freshman.

Bauer Sharp

Tight end, Oklahoma

Sharp started his career as a quarterback for Southeastern Louisiana before switching to tight end in 2022. He led Oklahoma with 42 receptions and 324 yards last year.

Donovan Green

Tight end, Texas A&M

Outside of his 2023 knee injury, the versatile tight end appeared in 18 games in three seasons with Texas A&M, totaling 22 receptions for 233 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Sydir Mitchell

Defensive lineman, Texas

Mitchell saw action in five games as a true freshman for Texas before redshirting last year and transferring to LSU this spring, where he’ll look to be part of the defensive line rotation.

A.J. Haulcy

Safety, Houston

Haulcy has yet to miss a game in his college career. He played in all 12 (with 9 starts) as a true freshman for New Mexico and started 24 straight games for Houston the past two seasons, compiling 259 tackles in his career.

Mansoor Delane

Cornerback, Virginia Tech

Delane will look to carry on the DBU legacy at LSU as the senior brings 29 starts, 146 tackles and 6 interceptions to the secondary after three seasons with the Hokies.

Braelin Moore

Offensive lineman, Virginia Tech

Moore was a two-year starter at Virginia Tech. He appeared in 28 games in his career, which adds up to 1,422 offensive snaps.

Tamarcus Cooley

Safety, NC State

Cooley provides more depth and experience at safety after two years at Maryland and NC State. He comes to LSU with 15 career appearances (including 9 starts), 43 tackles and 2 interceptions.

Patrick Payton

Defensive end, Florida State

Payton arrives in Baton Rouge as a fifth-year senior after racking up 31.5 tackles for loss and 16 sacks in 40 career games—including two contests against LSU in 2022 and 2023.

Destyn Hill

Wide receiver, Florida State

The New Orleans native returns to his home state after spending the past two seasons at Florida State. He was forced to miss all of 2024 with an injury but had 6 catches for 87 yards as a true freshman.

Jack Pyburn

Defensive end, Florida

Pyburn had a breakout junior season at Florida, tallying 60 tackles with 4 tackles for loss and a sack, and he’s already emerged as a leader on the defense throughout spring practice.

Ja’Keem Jackson

Cornerback, Florida

Jackson’s best is still yet to come. The former Florida cornerback played in 11 games as a true freshman and was named a Week 1 starter as a sophomore for the Gators before suffering a season-ending injury in Week 2.

Bernard Gooden

Defensive lineman, South Florida

Gooden joins the Tigers with experience at multiple different places. He saw action in 12 games at Wake Forest in 2022 before playing in 13 games (11 starts) for South Florida last year, earning an honorable mention All-AAC nod.

This article was originally published in 225 Magazine’s 2025 Tiger Pride edition.