Checking out the comp: LSU
Missouri finished spring football last week and until the transfer portal opens May 1-15 things may enter a bit of a quiet period around the program. So, while we give the Tigers a break for a little while there's nothing stopping us from checking out what their 2023 Power 5 opponents' rosters are looking like.
We've already covered Mizzou's first two Power 5 opponents in Kansas State and Vanderbilt. The Tigers of LSU will be Mizzou's second conference opponent of the 2023 season and it'll be the first time the teams will face off since Brian Kelly took over as head coach.
Currently, LSU is halfway done with spring football and there has been a number of roster changes since its 63-7 win over Purdue in the Citrus Bowl.
Last season's record: 10-4
Key departures: QB Walker Howard, WR Jack Bech, WR Kayshon Boutte, WR Jaray Jenkins, RG Anthony Bradford, DB Jarrick Bernard-Converse, LB Demario Tolan, DB Jay Ward, EDGE BJ Ojulari, CB Mekhi Garner, DL Jaquelin Roy
Key additions: WR Aaron Anderson, DB Denver Harris, DB Duce Chestnut, DB JK Johnson, LB Omar Speights, DL Paris Shand, DT Jordan Jefferson, DL Bradyn Swinson, DL Jalen Lee, DL Ovie Oghoufo, DB Zy Alexander
Key departures
LSU lost three top 100 transfers according to Rivals.com in quarterback Walker Howard (24th), wide receiver Jack Bech (97th) and linebacker Demario Tolan (44th).
The most eye-popping departure is Howard, who was a five-star prospect and Rivals' No. 20 recruit in the nation coming out of St. Thomas (La.) in 2022. He was buried on the depth chart behind starter Jayden Daniels, as well as Garrett Nussmeier. Howard would go on to complete two of his four passes for seven yards in two games. He has since transferred to Ole Miss.
The blow doesn't do too much to the current state of affairs at quarterback since Jayden Daniels is returning. Daniels completed 68.9% of his passes for 2,913 yards, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions in 14 games. He also led the team with 885 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 186 carries (4.8 yards per carry).
Bech, a former four-star prospect who was also a high school teammate of Howard's, transferred to TCU this offseason after recording 16 receptions for 200 yards and a touchdown in 2022. This was a nice size drop in production after recording 43 receptions for 489 yards and three touchdowns as a true freshman under former head coach Ed Orgeron.
Tolan may be a name some Mizzou fans are familiar with. After recording 10 tackles in his true freshman season, Tolan decided to transfer to Auburn over Missouri this offseason.
Wide receivers Kayshon Boutte and Jaray Jenkins, right guard Anthony Bradford, defensive backs Jarrick Bernard-Converse, Mekhi Garner and Jay Ward, EDGE BJ Ojulari and defensive lineman Jaquelin Roy all declared for the NFL Draft.
The best of the bunch is Ojulari, who recorded 58 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery last season. He is likely to be a first or second-round pick.
Boutte has a decent amount of intrigue after he dazzled in six games in 2021. He didn't have the same level of activity in 2022 recording 48 receptions for 538 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games. He said he was returning to LSU next year before changing his mind shortly thereafter and declaring for the draft. He's believed to be a day two or early day three pick.
Jenkins was the team's fourth-leading receiver with 27 receptions for 404 yards and a team-high six receiving touchdowns in 13 games.
Bradford played in 13 games last season but started 12 of them with all but one start coming at right guard.
Bernard-Converse tied for the team lead in interceptions with two and also had 44 tackles, 0.5 tackles for loss three pass deflections and a fumble recovery in 13 games a season ago.
Garner had 43 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss and tied for a team-high eight pass deflections. He's projected to be a late-round pick.
Ward recorded 60 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, four pass deflections, an interception and a fumble recovery returned for a touchdown in 13 games in 2022.
Roy recorded 49 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 0.5 sacks and a fumble recovery in 13 games a season ago. He's likely to be a mid-round pick.
So, the Tigers lost a good amount of talent, but they still return 36 scholarship players including 26 who started at least one game.
Key additions
For everything LSU lost in the portal and to the draft, they also brought in a decent group of transfers with a few of them expected to instantly have massive roles on the team in 2023, according to Tiger Details.
“It's pretty clear that some of the defensive players that we brought in (Texas linebacker) Ovie Oghoufo, (Oregon State linebacker) Omar Speights, (West Virginia defensive tackle) Jordan Jefferson are going to be impactful guys," Kelly said after the Tigers' first spring practice. The depth of the cornerback position, all of them are really talented players.
“(Alabama wide receiver Aaron Anderson) is coming back from surgery, so we haven't seen him yet. But we know about his story and how great of a high school player he was here in the state."
Anderson comes over from Alabama and was ranked as a four-star transfer and the No. 2 overall transfer in the most recent portal period. The 5-foot-9 wide receiver out of Edna Karr (La.) was a five-star prospect and the No. 23 overall recruit in the class of 2022.
Speights comes over after four seasons with the Beavers. He recorded 83 tackles, eight tackles for loss and a pass deflection last season and was ranked as the No. 59 overall transfer.
Jefferson, who was ranked as the No. 137 overall transfer, also makes the move to Baton Rouge after four seasons with the Mountaineers. Last season, he recorded 31 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, three sacks and five batted balls.
Oghoufo will be entering his sixth season in college football with his third school after previous stops in Notre Dame and Texas. In 2022, Oghoufo recorded 53 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, three batted balls and a forced fumble. He was ranked as the No. 293 overall transfer.
Denver Harris, who is another former five-star prospect from the class of 2022, only played five games for Texas A&M last season, but he was still able to record 14 tackles and three pass deflections. He was the No. 19 overall transfer available.
Duce Chesnut transferred from Syracuse after two seasons with the Orange. He recorded 40 tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a pass deflection and an interception returned for a touchdown. He was a second-team freshman All-American in 2021. Chestnut was ranked as the No. 37 overall available transfer.
JK Johnson is one of five top 60 transfers for the Tigers, as he was ranked 57th after recording 20 tackles for Ohio State in 2022.
Paris Shand joins Jefferson on the defensive line and comes over from Arizona after three seasons with the Wildcats. He recorded 23 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 2.5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 2022. He was ranked as the No. 137 available transfer.
Bradyn Swinson joins LSU after three seasons at Oregon. He recorded eight tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in 2022, but in 2021, he recorded 24 tackles and three sacks. He was ranked as the No. 156 overall available transfer.
Jalen Lee, who was ranked as the No. 265 overall transfer, went to LSU after three seasons with Florida and he recorded eight tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss a season ago.
Zy Alexander transferred in-state and decided to join LSU after three years at Southeastern where he helped lead the Lions to the second round of the FCS playoffs the last two years.
Last season, he recorded 24 tackles, four pass deflections and three interceptions with two of them being returned for touchdowns. He was ranked as the No. 474 available transfer.
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