LSU Adds 7 Portal Additions on Friday
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Friday was the arguably the single busiest day of Lane Kiffin’s first offseason as head coach of LSU, as the Tigers added seven different players out of the transfer portal.
The portal officially closed last night at 11:00 P.M. CT, but that was the deadline for players to enter, not decide on their new destination. A player could stay enrolled with their current school all the way through the end of the school year before deciding on where they’ll be playing in 2026.
LSU will undoubtedly add players post-window closing, but the players they added yesterday are as follows:
- Nicholls OL Ja’Mard Jones
- Baylor OL Sean Thompkins
- Ole Miss OL Devin Harper
- Ohio State S Faheem Delane
- Maryland OL Aliou Bah
- Baylor S Mason Dossett
- Ole Miss LB TJ Dottery
Because I am but one man and trying to hold onto whatever bit of sanity I have left, I’m just going to do a quick blurb on each of these additions.
Jones is a New Orleans native and product of Rummel who played in six games for the Colonels this season. I wouldn’t expect Jones to compete for a starting position in 2026, but he has three years of eligibility remaining and will, at the very least, give a depleted offensive line some depth.
Thompkins might have the inside track to be LSU’s starter at left tackle. He played in 10 games for Dave Aranda and started the final five at left tackle. For the year he logged a total of 460 snaps. Thompkins was set to transfer to North Carolina but never signed with the Tar Heels. That opened the door for Kiffin and Co. to get Thompkins in for a visit, and now he’s trading that sweet Carolina blue for purple and gold.
Harper might be a name LSU fans remember. A Calvary Baptist product and Shreveport native, Harper was part of LSU’s 2025 class for the longest time before flipping to Ole Miss at the 11th hour. Harper was a top-85 prospect in last year’s class and viewed as the No. 4 interior offensive linemen in the cycle.
While listed as an IOL by recruiting services, Harper played six games at tackle for Ole Miss this past season, and some felt he would have first dibs at the starting right tackle job for the Rebs in 2026. We’ll have to wait for spring practice to see what the plan is.
LSU had such a good experience with a Delane in the Tiger secondary that they’re going back to that well again. Faheem Delane, the younger brother of Mansoor, was a top-100 overall prospect in last year’s class and heavily considered LSU coming out of high school before signing with the Buckeyes. This year he played a reserve role for Ohio State but appeared in 13 games.
Delane is walking into a crowded safety room that already has Dashawn Spears, TaMarcus Cooley and incoming Boise transfer Ty Benefield, but this could be a move for the future. Spears and Cooley will be draft-eligible at the end of the 2026 season, while Benefield will be out eligibility, so the Tigers will be losing at least one starting safety this time next year, if not all three. Delane could be in line to take over one of those jobs in 2027 and you’d have to figure with the way Mansoor’s stock exploded at LSU, Faheem would be willing to wait his turn.
Starting jobs are earned, not given, but an exception will probably be made for Aliou Bah. Bah began his collegiate career with Georgia before transferring to Maryland. With the Terps, Bah has started for two consecutive years, 23 games straight, at right guard and only has one year of eligibility remaining. The only question with Bah is will he be to the left of Braelin Moore or the right.
LSU poached a second player from Dave Aranda, this being Mason Dossett. Dossett played safety for the Bears in 2024 before switching to receiver in 2025. The expectation is Dossett will be switching back to safety in 2026. He’s also a hurdler and will join the LSU track program.
The distinction of biggest Friday addition however, belongs to TJ Dottery who was the leading tackler for not just Ole Miss, but the entire SEC.
Dottery was a top-10 linebacker prospect coming out of Alabama and began his career with Clemson. Dottery transferred to Ole Miss heading into 2023, but had to sit out that season. He got back on the field in 2024 and had a breakout season: 76 tackles, two sacks, forced a fumble, and was credited with a PBU. Dottery then upped his tackle numbers this season to 98 tackles and should give LSU one of the better linebacking corps in the nation next to Whit Weeks and Davhon Keys.
By my count LSU now has 38 additions out of the transfer portal, and I’m not sure they’re done yet.
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