LSU football had a season to remember in 2022. The Tigers had two mediocre seasons following their 2019 national championship, leading them to fire Ed Orgeron and bring in longtime Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly. They entered the season with mild expectations but surprised everyone by finishing 10-4, beating Alabama and winning the SEC West.
After this breakout season, the Tigers have much higher expectations for 2023. LSU retained most of its key players from last season, most notably starting quarterback Jayden Daniels. Additionally, the Tigers pulled in outstanding recruiting classes, both from high school and the transfer portal.
According to 247sports, LSU has the sixth-ranked high school recruiting class, and the best transfer class in the country. Kelly's Tigers pulled in a whopping eight four-star transfers, tied with Auburn for most in the nation. They also added three three-stars to help round out the roster.
With players like former Texas A&M cornerback Denver Harris, LSU's transfer class has rightfully been receiving a lot of attention. However, let's not forget about some of the more under-the-radar additions, as they can be just as crucial. In particular, one player on the defensive side of the ball should be an immediate starter and impact player.
Without further ado, let's meet that player.
LSU's sneakiest transfer portal move: LB Omar Speights
Formerly at Oregon State, Omar Speights has quietly been tearing it up for four years now. His relatively unknown status is largely due to Oregon State being bad or mediocre until last season, but that shouldn't overshadow his accomplishments.
Over four seasons with the Beavers, Speights has racked up 308 tackles, 25 TFL, five sacks, seven passes defended and three interceptions. He finally received the recognition he deserves in 2022, earning a first-team All-Pac-12 selection.
Oregon State's defense was one of the best in college football in 2022. The Beavers led the Pac-12 in total and scoring defense, allowing just 332.8 yards and 20 points per game. Speights was the leader of that defense, and played a huge part in the Beavers finishing 10-3.
Despite being a staple in Corvallis for years, Speights decided to enter the transfer portal and use his final year of eligibility elsewhere. He garnered interest from many top schools, but ultimately chose to transfer to LSU football. As it so happens, the Tigers happen to be an excellent fit for the star linebacker.
LSU received great play out of its linebackers in 2022, as the team's three leading tacklers all played that position. While two of those three players, Greg Penn II and Harold Perkins Jr., return for 2023, leading tackler Micah Baskerville will be moving on next season. That leaves an opening in the group, which Speights should fit into effortlessly.
With these three in tow, LSU should have one of the best sets of linebackers in the nation. Speights and Penn should lock down the middle of the field, while Perkins does his damage primarily as an edge rusher. The SEC is is an absolutely brutal conference, and a strong defense is crucial to compete in it. With the Tigers' wealth of talent at linebacker, their defense will certainly help them compete.
Speights has proven to be a very capable linebacker, but always flew under the radar due to the team he was on. Now, he'll get a chance to show his ability in the best conference in college football. If he lives up to the hype, it may be a season to remember in Baton Rouge for LSU football.
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