LSU Defensive Lineman, Former Prized Four-Star Recruit Entering Transfer Portal

Brian Kelly and Co. see another veteran piece up front enter the portal, number climbs once again in Baton Rouge.

Courtesy of LSU Football.

Brian Kelly and LSU Tigers remain active in the NCAA Transfer Portal with the program bringing in 14 newcomers to this point.

Kelly and Co. knew the offseason would provide opportunities for the program to reconstruct the roster with key additions, but there would also be members of the 2024 roster test the market as well.

Heading into Sunday LSU had seen 18 Tigers depart the program. Now, transfer departure No. 19 has made his move with defensive lineman Jalen Lee set to enter the Transfer Portal, On3 Sports has reported.

Lee was a rotational piece on the defensive line alongside Paris Shand, Gio Paez, Ahmad Breaux, Dominick McKinley and others during the 2024 season.

The Louisiana native transferred from Florida to LSU during the 2023 offseason where he ultimately spent two seasons in Baton Rouge.

Lee has 21 career tackles with a sack and forced fumble across 36 games. In 2024, he only played in four games after battling the injury bug.

He was a four-star prospect out of high school prior to signing with the Florida Gators where he will now look to find a new home for his final season of eligibility.

LSU has seen multiple defensive linemen enter the NCAA Transfer Portal while the program has lost 19 members of the 2024 roster to the free agent market.

The 2024 Departures (19):

- Rickie Collins: Quarterback (Syracuse)
- Landon Ibieta: Wide Receiver
- CJ Daniels: Wide Receiver (Miami)
- Dashawn Womack: EDGE (Ole Miss)
- Jordan Allen: Safety (Houston)
- Shelton Sampson: Wide Receiver (Louisiana-Lafayette)
- Kylin Jackson: Defensive Back (TCU)
- Xavier Atkins: Linebacker (Auburn)
- Jyaire Brown: Cornerback (UCF)
- Bernard Causey: Cornerback
- Nathan Dibert: Kicker (Eastern Michigan)
- De'Myrion Johnson: Defensive Tackle
- JK Johnson: Cornerback (Oklahoma State)
- Ka'Morreun Pimpton: Tight End (TCU)
- Jay'viar Suggs: Defensive Tackle (Wisconsin)
- Sage Ryan: Defensive Back (Ole Miss)
- AJ Swann: Quarterback (App State)
- Kimo Makane'ole: Defensive Lineman
- Jalen Lee: Defensive Lineman

When it comes to recruiting efforts in the NCAA Transfer Portal, LSU quickly proved they would be one of the most active programs in the free agent market during the three-week window.

The Tigers currently hold the No. 1 class in the portal with 14 additions locked in to this point, but the expectation remains that the program isn't done just yet.

"We'll be very aggressive," Kelly said prior to the portal window opening. "I think everybody knows last summer that we weren't very aggressive in the transfer portal and we put together a defensive line with minimal resources. We've really put ourselves in a position, and I'll use this term loosely, well under the 'cap' to where we could be quite aggressive this year. And we will be in that area."

Who have the Tigers gained commitments from?

The Additions on Offense (7):
- TE Bauer Sharp: Oklahoma
- WR Barion Brown: Kentucky
- QB Michael Van Buren: Mississippi State
- WR Destyn Hill: Florida State
- WR Nic Anderson: Oklahoma
- OL Braelin Moore: Virginia Tech
- OL Josh Thompson: Northwestern

The Additions on Defense (6):
- CB Ja'Keem Jackson: Florida
- EDGE Jimari Butler: Nebraska
- EDGE Jack Pyburn: Florida
- CB Mansoor Delane: Virginia Tech
- DL Sydir Mitchell: Texas
- EDGE Patrick Payton: Florida State

The Special Teams Additions (1):
Punter Grant Chadwick: Middle Tennessee

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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