LSU football still has one game left to play, but the losses continue to pile up.
Injured cornerback Eli Ricks Jr. is the latest, with the highly touted sophomore planning to enter the NCAA Transfer portal, according to a report from Rivals.
With Tigers head coach Ed Orgeron set to be jettisoned after the final game of the 2021 season, it's likely not the last transfer by a big name out of the program. LSU has been operating without several key players this season due to injury, and it's likely to lose another star cornerback to the draft in Derek Stingley Jr., who is projected by many to be a top-10 selection.
LSU quarterback Myles Brennan has also decided to transfer. He was unable to get on the field this season due to an injury suffered before he could participate in a battle with Max Johnson for the starting job.
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For Ricks, it'll be a chance to finish out a college career that began with significant promise, but in a new location. Orgeron touted the duo of Ricks and Stingley as the top cornerback duo in the nation heading into the season, but the pair rarely saw the field together. Ricks pulled down four interceptions in his freshman season, another year that saw Stingley miss significant time due to injury. He registered 11 tackles, a pass defensed and an interception in the 2021 season while appearing in six games. He initially attempted to play through a shoulder injury, but ultimately opted to shut it down following a loss to Kentucky.
The Tigers have one game remaining, a home matchup against Texas A&M. A victory would get the Tigers bowl eligible and mean one more game for this beleaguered Tigers group. It's been a combination of Cordale Flott, Jay Ward, Dwight McGlothern and others gamely filling the absence of Ricks and Stingley on the outsides. That group has been impressive, keeping the Tigers in tight losses to Alabama and Arkansas in back-to-back weeks before a win over UL Monroe this past Saturday.