There are several reasons why a player would enter the transfer portal. NIL deals and compensation through revenue sharing are certainly a part of the equation, but college players also want to win.
The 63-year-old Brian Kelly also wants to win. It’s the one thing missing from his Hall of Fame resume.
It motivated Kelly to get LSU’s NIL budget to a point where the Tigers can attract talented players out of the transfer portal, but the players also saw more than dollar signs when they considered LSU.
“I looked at what they were doing in the offseason and it looked like they were building something really special here and since I was a kid it was my dream to win a national championship and so that opportunity to chase a national championship is everything,” said LSU starting guard Josh Thompson, who left Northwestern after starting 21 games for the Big 10 team over the last two years.
Cornerback Mansoor Delane made 29 starts at Virginia Tech and received All-ACC honors for his performance during the 2024 season.
Delane wanted to play for a big-time program and quickly found out LSU was the place to be.
“I saw it when I was in the portal, I’m seeing commitment after commitment, and I’m saying this looks like a good little spot for me and also knowing what else was coming back in Garrett Nussmeier, Harold Perkins and Whit Weeks and these different pieces coming together, it made no sense not to come here,” Delane said.
Delane had his seventh career interception in the exhilarating season opening win over Clemson and received all kinds of honors, including the Bednarik Award National Player of the Week.
Even though Delane didn’t arrive in Baton Rouge until earlier this year, he’s already established himself as a leader and has this message for his teammates.
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“It’s a great win for the program, but it’s not the goal for what we are aspiring for, because if you are aspiring to win at Clemson, you are going to come in here complacent, and you are not looking to get better, if you are goal is to win a championship, you are always going to have that mindset to keep going, keep pushing to be better,” Delane said
LSU’s defense looked really good in the season opener, we’ll see how much it improves as this team strives to have a special season.