LSU football: 5 transfer portal targets following Zavion Thomas and Jardin Gilbert additions

BATON ROUGE — LSU football added its first players out of the transfer portal ahead of the 2024 season on Friday, grabbing commitments from Mississippi State wide receiver Zavion Thomas and Texas A&M safety Jardin Gilbert.

But the Tigers aren't done yet. LSU still has multiple holes it needs to fill with veterans on its roster, including at defensive tackle, backup quarterback and cornerback.

Here are five potential targets for LSU in the transfer portal.

Decamerion Richardson

Decamerion Richardson has started in 25 games over the past two seasons at cornerback for Mississippi State. The Louisiana native had 57 tackles and two pass breakups this season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Cornerback is an obvious position of need for LSU and Richardson could start right away for the Tigers while still being a veteran leader for their younger core.

Walter Nolen

Walter Nolen, a defensive tackle at Texas A&M, was the No. 2 player in the nation from the Class of 2022 and is the top player in the transfer portal. This season he accumulated 17 quarterback pressures and 20 tackles, according to PFF.

Nolen choosing LSU over a plethora of other schools is a long shot, especially since he has yet to schedule a visit with the Tigers. But defensive tackle is a need for LSU with Mekhi Wingo potentially entering the NFL Draft and Jordan Jefferson not returning.

Jyaire Brown

Ohio State cornerback and Louisiana native Jyaire Brown has seen defensive snaps in 14 games across two seasons with the Buckeyes. Coming out of high school, he was a four-star recruit and the No. 192 player in the Class of 2022.

As noted earlier, LSU has a major need at cornerback with JK Johnson and Zy Alexander suffering injuries this season, Denver Harris and Duce Chestnut being away from the team and Sage Ryan entering the transfer portal. Potentially adding Brown and Richardson would be a huge boost for a very young room.

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AJ Swann

AJ Swann was a four-star recruit and the No. 23 quarterback in the nation from the Class of 2022. He eventually signed with Vanderbilt and has thrown for 2,727 yards and 22 touchdowns across the past two seasons with the Commodores.

With Jayden Daniels departing for the NFL, Garrett Nussmeier becomes the only quarterback on LSU's roster that has high-leverage playing experience. Swann would fill that need perfectly as a high-level backup with playing experience behind Nussmeier.

The interest between LSU and Swann also seems to be mutual. Swann visited LSU on Friday, according to a source.

Trey Jones

Central Michigan safety Trey Jones has made 22 starts for the Chippewas over the last two seasons. He had 48 tackles and a pass breakup this past year before entering the portal, according to PFF.

LSU offered a scholarship to Jones on Thursday. Florida, Texas A&M and Tennessee have also extended offers to the safety.

The Tigers have already added Gilbert out of the portal and have four-star recruit DaShawn McBryde expected to join a young core of safeties that includes Ryan Yaites, Kylin Jackson and Jordan Allen. But LSU still lacks veteran depth at safety, even if Major Burns returns.

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Koki Riley covers LSU sports for The Daily Advertiser. Email him at kriley@theadvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter at @KokiRiley

This article originally appeared on Lafayette Daily Advertiser: LSU football transfer portal targets: What moves can the Tigers make?