The Impact: Brian Kelly, LSU Football Sign Double-Digit Immediate Impact Transfers

Brian Kelly and the Bayou Bengals hold the No. 3 portal class, continue dominating in the free agent market.

Courtesy of Nic Anderson's Instagram.

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers hold the No. 3 Transfer Portal Class in the country after reeling in commitment No. 11 on Friday afternoon.

Kelly and Co. have now received pledges from seven SEC transfers, a pair of ACC transfers and a former Big 10 starterr as critical pieces to the portal haul.

It's been a dominant month for the Tigers on the recruiting trail with the program reconstructing the roster for the 2025 season.

Now, with immediate impact players set to make their way to Baton Rouge, LSU has an embarrassment of riches to work with moving forward.

What is LSU getting in the newcomers to this point? A look into each impactful transfer.

The Impact: Looking Into the Additions on Offense

- TE Bauer Sharp: Oklahoma
- WR Barion Brown: Kentucky
- QB Michael Van Buren: Mississippi State
- WR Destyn Hill: Florida State
- WR Nic Anderson: Oklahoma

Bauer Sharp... LSU signed former Oklahoma tight end Bauer Sharp on Friday once the coveted transfer went public with a decision to join the Tigers. He's coming off of a year after leading the Sooners in receptions (42) and receiving yards (324) in 2024.

Look for Sharp to come in and be a versatile piece for the LSU offense in both the receiving and blocking game. Brian Kelly raved about his physicality in the run-game. It'll be how he's used most in 2025.

"He's a talented player with physicality; especially in the run game. If you watch him closely, some of the things they did with him in the passing game, we've seen from other tight ends," Kelly said of Sharp on Friday after the signing was made official.

"If you really look at his body of work, it's the physicality in the run game. Pulling, blocking tackles, being out on the perimeter. Love his physicality in the run-game. Still, a very good athlete. He came in as a quarterback at Southeast Louisiana. He has the ability to do some really good things for us in the passing game as well."

Barion Brown... Brown went public with a decision to sign with the LSU Tigers on Saturday after a midweek visit to Baton Rouge. After a three-year stint with Kentucky, Brown now heads to LSU with over 120 career catches, 1500+ receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns.

Brown also holds the record for most kick return touchdowns in SEC history with five in his college career. Look for Brown to be an integral piece to LSU's success in 2025.

"Explosiveness, veteran presence, maturity that he brings to the room. We have some young players and I think it's pretty clear, when you're recruiting receivers you're looking at who your quarterback is to. You've got a veteran quarterback, someone who can push the ball down the field. He looked at that, at the success of the receivers at LSU. He's an explosive player and I think it was pretty easy this was going to be a great fit for him," Kelly said on Monday.

Michael Van Buren... Mississippi State transfer quarterback Michael Van Buren went public with a decision to transfer to the LSU Tigers on Sunday after one season in Starkville. After starting as a true freshman for the Bulldogs, he heads to Baton Rouge for the 2025 season.

Van Buren provides LSU with a backup quarterback that has SEC experience. In 10 appearances as a true freshman in 2024, Van Buren completed 140-of-256 passes for 1,886 yards and 11 touchdowns. He added another five rushing TDs for the Bulldogs.

"When you're looking at your entire roster, you're making an incredible investment across the board. You have to look at each position and if Garrett was to go down, you have to have somebody there," Kelly said on Monday. "But more importantly you have to have competition at every position. Michael is going to compete with Garrett and we wanted to bring Michael in because he's somebody who has started in the SEC. 

Destyn Hill... Florida State wide receiver transfer Destyn Hill has made the decision to return to his home-state after two seasons with the Seminoles in Tallahassee. It's been a rollercoaster career to this point for Hill, but he now returns back to the Bayou State.

The former Top-100 wide receiver in the 2021 recruiting cycle returns home after a stint with the Seminoles. A 2021 recruit, Hill did not enroll with Florida State until 2023 where he made things official with the program. That year, he reeled in six receptions for 87 yards with an 14.5 yards per catch average. He missed the 2024 season due to injury and will have multiple years of eligibility for the Tigers.

Hill is the lone commitment yet to sign withthe program. He remains pledged but has no submitted the necessary papertwork with the university yet to make an official announcement of his signing.

Nic Anderson... 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 Impact: Looking Into the Additions on Defense (5)

- CB Ja'Keem Jackson: Florida
- EDGE Jimari Butler: Nebraska
- EDGE Jack Pyburn: Florida
- CB Mansoor Delane: Virginia Tech
- DL Sydir Mitchell

Ja'Keem Jackson... The Florida cornerback comes to LSU after two years with the Gators 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.

"Starter experience. When you put on the film you're not looking at him against a high school player. You're looking at him against SEC competition. We really liked the way he played against SEC caliber players. You're really evaluating differently so more experienced. You can't just take one year guys. You gotta have some who have two and three years of eligibility so you're developing players in the program as well," Kelly said on Monday.

Jimari Butler... The Nebraska standout immediately will compete for a starting job in Baton Rouge as an edge rusher. He appeared in 37 games for the Cornhuskers, starting 16 times, including 10 in 2024. He comes to LSU with 65 career tackles to go along with 17 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.

In 2024, Butler tallied 22 tackles, seven tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. During his All-Big Ten season in 2023, he had 34 tackles and led the team in both tackles for loss (8.5) and sacks (5.5). 

"He's got versatility. He's played in the four technique, he's played as a five technique, he's played as a drop. His physicality, look he wore the No. 1 which that jersey is given out to the best practice player in coach Rhule's program. He is No. 10 but he was given No. 1 because of the way he practiced. We're bringing in high character guys, guy that practice and set a standard in the way they play and he's going to up that level in that room," Kelly said on Monday.

Jack Pyburn... The Florida transfer is fresh off of a 2024 season where he logged 60 total tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack and one interception while starting the last eight games of the year. In three seasons with the Gators, Pyburn logged 80 total tackles with his "coming out season" being in 2024.

The No. 4 rated edge rusher in the portal projects as a Day 1 starter upon his arrival in Baton Rouge as he continues leveling up his game throughout his career.

Mansoor Delane... The Virginia Tech transfer pledged to Brian Kelly and the Tigers on 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.

The No. 2 rated cornerback in the NCAA Transfer Portal projects as a Day 1 starter in the defensive backfield with his versatility providing a boost for LSU's secondary.

Sydir Mitchell... Mitchell, a coveted defensive lineman in the NCAA Transfer Portal, heads to Baton Rouge after two seasons with the Longhorns and head coach Steve Sarkisian. The 6-foot-6, 350-pound New Jersey native signed with the Longhorns in the 2023 Recruiting Class with impressive expectations.

The young defensive lineman with limited mileage played in only nine games with the Longhorns, including four games in 2024 to maintain redshirt status. He totaled seven tackles during his time in Austin. Mitchell will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.

The Impact: Looking Into the Addition on Special Teams (1)

Grant Chandwick (Punter)... The 6-foot-4, 190-pounder graded out as one of the top punters in America after blasting 51 punts in 2024 with an average of 43.4 yards per kick. Chadwick's long was 60 yards on the season as a true freshman.

It's no secret the Tigers were in need of help on special teams with the program struggling in the punting game this season. Now, after evaluating options and remaining in touch with Chadwick, he announces his commitment to the program. He will have three seasons of eligibility remaining with LSU.

More LSU News:

The LSU Transfer Portal Update: Who's in? Who's out?

LSU Dishes Out Offer to No. 1 Quarterback in America

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

Join the Community:

Follow Zack Nagy on Twitter: @znagy20 and LSU Tigers On SI: @LSUTigersSI for all coverage surrounding the LSU program.