Breakout Candidates: Which LSU Football Transfer Additions Can Shine in 2025?

Brian Kelly and Co. reeled in multiple newcomers via the portal, set to make an impact on Day 1 in Baton Rouge.

Sep 16, 2023; Gainesville, Florida, USA; Florida Gators defensive end Jack Pyburn (44) gestures to the crowd during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images / Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers remain one of the most active programs in the NCAA Transfer Portal with 14 commitments to this point.

Kelly's "very aggressive" approach has done wonders in Baton Rouge with the Tigers currently holding the No. 1 Transfer Portal Class in America.

“[The NCAA Transfer Portal] is being measured in terms of what you’re trying to do in terms of where you are as a program," Kelly said in December. "We needed time to develop young players in our program. They needed an opportunity before we went and brought in a number of veteran players. We needed to do a little bit of work to compete in the SEC, which we did, but now it’s time to roster build.

"We have a strong young nucleus in our program, but now it’s time to add to that. Those that have moved on, we wish them the best, and now we feel like we’ve put ourselves in a position where we can put together an SEC Championship roster.”

LSU has entered "win now" mode after a disappointing 8-4 season in 2024, and with a reconstructed roster in Baton Rouge, the program is in an efficient position to do so.

Now, with immediate impact newcomers, which transfers can breakout in 2025 for the Tigers?

The Early Breakout Candidates:

Nic Anderson: No. 5 Rated WR in the Transfer Portal

Anderson set the Oklahoma freshman record for touchdown receptions with 10 in 2023. His 798 receiving yards that year rank No. 2 in Oklahoma history for a freshman. In two years with the Sooners, Anderson appeared in 17 games with six starts, all coming as a redshirt freshman in 2023. Anderson missed the entire 2024 season with an injury.

Anderson earned Freshman All-America honors from The Athletic in 2023 and was twice named Big 12 Newcomer of the Week. He had three 100-yard games with a career-high 120 yards on three receptions against Tulsa. All three of his receptions against Tulsa went for touchdowns.

The resumé is impressive, but after missing most of the 2024 season due to injury, he'll look to get back to his 2023 form next season.

Mansoor Delane: No. 2 Rated CB in the Transfer Portal

LSU secondary coach Corey Raymond continues retooling the defensive backfield this offseason with several newcomers set to arrive in Baton Rouge, but none more game ready than Virginia Tech transfer Mansoor Delane.

The No. 2 rated cornerback in the NCAA Transfer Portal, according to 247Sports, chose the Tigers over a slew of schools that expressed significant interest.

Delane is a player firmly on NFL organizations' draft boards with LSU adding a player who is a surefire pick in the future.

The Virginia Tech transfer pledged to Brian Kelly and the Tigers last Monday after three seasons with the Hokies. During his time in the ACC, Delane tallied 146 tackles, 16 pass breakups, six interceptions and four forced fumbles.

It's an important addition for the program where Delane can help coach up the youngsters in the cornerback room heading into next season.

LSU signee DJ Pickett, the No. 1 cornerback in America, has already arrived in Baton Rouge to begin practicing with the program, but once Delane is in town it'll give Pickett a resource to fall back on.

Jack Pyburn: Top-10 EDGE in the Transfer Portal

The Tigers knocked it out of the park when it came to rebuilding the trenches headlined by a trio of immediate impact edge rushers that have signed to the program out of the NCAA Transfer Portal.

- Patrick Payton: No. 1 EDGE
- Jack Pyburn: No. 6 EDGE
- Jimari Butler: Top 20 EDGE

Payton needs no introduction. The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder logged 109 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, 12 pass breakups and three forced fumbles in three seasons with Florida State. Now, as the No. 2 overall transfer, he heads to Baton Rouge as the headliner of the haul.

For Pyburn, the Florida Gators' starting edge rusher during the 2024 season tallied 60 total tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble and an interception. He'll be an integral piece to what LSU does in the trenches next season.

The final piece to he new-look edge rushing unit will be Nebraska's Jimari Butler. A starter for the Cornhuskers in 2024, Butler burst on the scene after an impressive stint with the program.

He's coming off of his fifth season with the Cornhuskers where he started in 10 of his 11 games played with the program in 2024. Butler logged 22 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks on the year.

Ja'Keem Jackson: Top-10 CB in the Transfer Portal

Ja’Keem Jackson, a season-opening starter at cornerback for Florida this year, has signed with LSU.

Jackson comes to LSU after two years at Florida where he appeared in 13 games recording 11 tackles, four pass breakups and a quarterback hurry.

He started the first two games of the 2024 season at cornerback for Florida before an ankle injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year.

In 2023 as a true freshman, Jackson appeared in 11 games, tallying seven tackles and three pass breakups

A native of Kissimmee, Fla., Jackson was a consensus four-star prospect at Osceola High School where he was named an ESPN Top 300 player and rated as the nation’s No. 3 overall cornerback by On3. As a senior, he helped lead his team to a 10-4 record and a semifinal appearance in the Florida high school playoffs.

More LSU News:

LSU Adds Commitments From Seven Top-100 Transfers in the Portal

LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America

Nick Saban Calls LSU Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier a "Sleeper" Ahead of 2024 Season

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