The Transfer Portal Window Closes: Which LSU Football Players Departed the Program?

Brian Kelly and the Bayou Bengals see double-digit players depart Baton Rouge, heading elsewhere in 2025.

Sep 14, 2024; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; LSU Tigers wide receiver CJ Daniels (4) celebrates after a first down against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the second quarter at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images / Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers took America by storm in December after being labeled the "Transfer Portal winner" with the No. 1 class in the country.

The Tigers wrapped up the month with the top-ranked Transfer Portal Class headlined by Florida State's Patrick Payton, Virginia Tech's Mansoor Delane and Oklahoma's Nic Anderson, among several others.

The Tigers have brought in multiple recruiting classes under Kelly via the high school ranks with young pieces evolving in Baton Rouge, but the staff knew immediate impact veterans were of the utmost importance.

"We have a strong young nucleus in our program, but now it’s time to add to that," Kelly said in December. "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.”

But's it's virtually impossible to win every recruiting battle in the new college football landscape with programs swinging for the fences. That even goes for players on the roster in Baton Rouge.

The LSU program saw 19 members of the 2024 roster depart Death Valley and enter the NCAA Transfer Portal over the last four weeks.

The Transfer Portal officially opened for business on Monday, Dec. 9 and closed on Saturday, Dec. 28.

For LSU, since the program had bowl game on New Year's Eve (Dec. 31), players had five days following the game to enter the portal.

That meant members of the LSU roster had until Jan. 5 to make the decision: Stay in Baton Rouge or test the Transfer Portal market.

Now, with the portal window officially in the rearview mirror, players cannot enter the free agent market until it reopens in the spring.

Which Tigers have departed? Where have they landed?

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