4th of July: Four Newcomers Poised To Make An Impact For LSU Football

The Tigers dominated the offseason after reeling in several fresh faces, a look into who can shine in 2023.

Brian Kelly continues retooling his roster in search of a National Championship, and after a big-time first season in Baton Rouge, this program is trending in the right direction. 

LSU brought in a Top 5 2023 recruiting class paired with one of the top Transfer Portal hauls in America. After a spring camp where the Tigers evaluated their additions, this program has the chance to make some noise this fall.

Here we dove into two transfer portal additions and two freshmen who can jump right in and impact this program:

Zy Alexander - Cornerback - Southeastern Louisiana Transfer

The 6-foot-3, 185-pound cornerback out of Loreauville, La has had a productive career to this point with the Lions, looking to carry his success to Baton Rouge:

2022 First Team All-Southland Conference

2021 Second Team FCS All-America (Stats Perform)

2021 Third Team FCS All-America (AP)

2021 First Team All-Southland Conference

2021 First Team All-Louisiana

Now in Baton Rouge, he has the chance to earn starting cornerback duties. It was a beneficial spring camp for Alexander after departing Hammond. 

He took first-team reps for defensive coordinator Matt House's group and has the "it" factor to make an impact sooner rather than later. 

As he continues filling out his frame, look for Alexander to be in the fold for starting duties. 

Aaron Anderson - Wide Receiver/Return Specialist - Alabama

The Alabama transfer did not record any stats in his freshman campaign with the Crimson Tide after suffering an injury early in the season.

A former Edna Karr standout, Anderson was rated as a Top-50 prospect in the 2021 class. A Top-5 wide receiver in the country, the Louisiana legend took the nation by storm in his senior season.

Along with being a deep threat on offense, Anderson can be utilized as a return specialist, a position group LSU struggled with a season ago. As versatile as it gets, Kelly and this program add a big-time playmaker for the future.

Anderson missed spring camp as he continues nursing a minor knee injury, but on pace to return for fall camp, he can immediately be thrown into the fire as a special teams star. 

Javien Toviano - Defensive Back - Freshman 

This is where it gets interesting. Toviano signed with LSU where many anticipated him to be a cornerback from the jump for this unit, but after the Tigers hit the transfer portal with force, signing four cornerbacks, it provides flexibility for Toviano.

A player who can thrive at nickel and safety as well as corner, we could see Toviano impact this LSU defense in a myriad of ways in year one. As gifted as they come both on and off the field, the freshman could be in position to play in 2023.

At 6-foot, 180 pounds, Toviano continues to build up his body to compete at the next level, and after a four year stretch where he dominated the best of the best in Texas, look for his competitive nature to come out this fall and turn a few heads.

He certainly looked the part during spring camp as an early-enrollee, and the offseason continues, he'll only get that much more comfortable with the system. 

Dashawn Womack - EDGE - Freshman

Arguably the most important signee in LSU’s 2023 class, Womack has the chance to step in soon to help Jimmy Lindsey's defensive line. With both Ali Gaye and BJ Ojulari departing for the NFL, the Tigers have a few spots to fill on the outside. Insert Womack.

LSU has made a few moves this offseason via the transfer portal to bring in veterans with Power Five experience, but Womack has all the intangibles to earn significant snaps this upcoming season if all goes accordingly during fall camp.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound menace flew up the recruiting rankings as his technique catches up to his physical tools. Putting it all together in his senior campaign, he was flat out dominant. With sheer size and tenacity paired with development in how he uses his twitchy hands, look for Womack to be that dude quickly for LSU. 

Honorable Mentions:

Omar Speights - Linebacker - Oregon State 

Ovie Oghoufo - Defensive End - Texas 

Jaxon Howard - Defensive End - Freshman 

Zalance Heard - Offensive Lineman - Freshman