A new LSU football season is upon us and for the Tigers to get into the new 12-team playoff they will need several new players to step up. Here are five newcomers that need to have a positive impact in 2024.
Safety Jardin Gilbert
I don’t think there will be more of an impactful transfer portal acquisition than Jardin Gilbert. The former University High star returns to his hometown after three years at Texas A&M. He was a starter in 2022 for the Aggies and had big games against LSU, Arkansas and Alabama. He had nine tackles and an interception against the Crimson Tide.
A shoulder injury limited him to two games last season. But he’s healthy and ready to go this season and brings SEC experience to the Tigers defensive secondary. He’s also a tremendous athlete that can keep up with SEC receivers, which the Tigers lacked last season.
Defensive tackle Dominick McKinley
It’s bit of a stretch to expect a freshman defensive tackle will have a big impact in the SEC. But I’m hoping to see flashes and a few splash plays from the former Acadiana High star. McKinley helped the Wreckin Rams reach the Division I Select State Championship Game last season as he had 71 tackles, 15 quarterback hurries and 11 tackles for a loss.
LSU has bodies at defensive tackle, but none of them are as talented as McKinley. His youth will be an obstacle for him, but that’s why LSU hired one of the best defensive line coaches in the country in Bo Davis.
Defensive tackle Gio Paez
After a disastrous season on defense in 2023, finding impact defensive tackles in the transfer portal was a priority for the LSU Tigers. Coach Brian Kelly and his staff didn’t land the big fish, mainly because of NIL reasons.
But the Tigers found a veteran tackle from Wisconsin in Gio Paez.
Fifth-year senior Jacobian Guillory is expected to start at one defensive tackle spot, Paez could start at the other. He appeared in 13 games and started six games on the defensive line last season for the Badgers, recording 36 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss.
But he played in a 3-4 for the Badgers and wanted to find a 4-3 defense, so he can play in the interior, instead of the outside. This is Paez’s sixth season, and he knows he has to perform in order to get a shot in the NFL.
Safety Dashawn Spears
It will take a while to build up DBU, but Dashawn Spears is a good start. The freshman from Denham Springs High School looks the part. He’s six-foot-three, 208 pounds and is an absolute ball hawk.
Spears, who went by McBryde in high school, had 19 interceptions in his final two seasons in high school.
Spears might not see a lot of playing time in the season opener against USC, but as the season goes on, the coaches will find it difficult to keep him off the field.
Wide Receiver Zavian Thomas
LSU needed to find an experienced SEC receiver in the transfer portal after losing two first round picks to the NFL, Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Junior. Zavian Thomas is exactly the guy the Tigers needed. The former John Ehret star caught 40 passes for 503 yards and a touchdown at Mississippi State last season.
Thomas is also one of the best return men in the SEC. He returned a kick 94 yards for a touchdown against Texas A&M last season and returned a punt for 63 yards and a touchdown against Georgia in 2022.
Thomas will revitalize the Tigers punt return game which has been dormant the last couple of seasons.