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LSU football is set to lose its eleventh player to the transfer portal. Head coach Brian Kelly's seat is warming up amid a disappointing third season in Baton Rouge. The Tigers entered the year expected to contend for a College Football Playoff spot. As the regular season closes, LSU football is 8-4 and currently unranked. The consequences of this year have been damaging to this program in terms of recruiting and the transfer portal. The Tigers just got hit with another blow in the form of De'Myrion Johnson.
According to National College Football Reporter for CBS Sports Matt Zenitz, the freshman defensive tackle will also enter the portal immediately. The latest news highlights a program in desperate need of some momentum.
LSU football has had a brutal year on and off the field
Brian Kelly's comments about NIL came out during a tough few days of recruiting for LSU football. The Tigers lost a few 5-star prospects via decommitment, including quarterback Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 prospect for the class of 2025. The news has not gotten any better as Brian Kelly's team keeps losing current players to the transfer portal. Johnson added to the current tally of eleven departures. The freshman out of New Iberia, Louisiana, did not record any stats this season but was a 4-star recruit out of high school.
The loss of Johnson is a blow to a program struggling for a defensive identity under Kelly. This problem is very odd considering the Tigers' head coach's recent past. Brian Kelly consistently fielded physical, defensive-minded teams during his time with Notre Dame. In fact, before Jayden Daniels, the only Heisman Trophy contender Kelly sent to New York was Manti Te'o, a linebacker. However, LSU football has consistently struggled in defense these past three years.
The Tigers' scoring defense was among the bottom four in the SEC in 2023 and 2024. The unit has been dismantled in several huge matchups, such as LSU football's embarrassing home loss to Alabama. An inability to stop the run aligns perfectly with these struggles, showing that the Tigers lack a physical presence on the interior. Losing players like De'Myrion Johnson doesn't get this program any closer to solving these deep-rooted issues.
LSU football will now play Baylor on December 31st in the Texas Bowl. While the Tigers cannot clinch a third straight ten-win season under Kelly, prioritizing this bowl game is essential. Potential recruits and transfers are looking for strong programs to sign with that have built resilient, winning cultures. A loss versus an unranked Big 12 school goes a long way toward continuing this narrative that the Tigers are in a downward spiral.
Despite all the bad news and negativity around the LSU football program, Brian Kelly deserves at least one more year to turn things around. The Everett, Massachusetts native has been successful everywhere he's gone en route to a likely College Football Hall of Fame career. The transfer portal and the twelve-team playoff are making fanbases as impatient as ever. However, Kelly has a track record of success that, for now, deserves the benefit of the doubt.
