Monday was a very busy but fruitful day for Lane Kiffin and staff as the Tigers added a trio of skill position players out of the transfer portal.
Let’s go in chronological order. First up, LSU added running back Raycine Guillory who spent this past season with the Utah Utes. Depending on what recruiting service you subscribe to, Guillory was either a high three-star or a low-four star coming out of Aledo, Texas. The current staff has some familiarity with Guillory, as he was recruited by Ole Miss
coming out of high school. Guillory only carried the ball once for Utah this season, so will come to LSU with four years of eligibility remaining.
Guillory may not be a knock your socks off type of addition out of the portal, but LSU needs bodies in the running back room, so any type of addition is a welcome one. Plus, if Guillory caught Kiffin and Kevin Smith’s eye coming out of high school then I’m inclined to believe the kid can play.
Not long after Guillory announced he was headed to LSU, so too did former Pitt tight end Malachi Thomas. Listed at 6’4” and 240 pounds Thomas caught 13 passes for 192 yards and scored two touchdowns this season for the Panthers and was due to be the starting tight end for Pitt in 2026. Instead, Thomas heads to Baton Rouge to be a compliment to Trey’Dez Green and best-case scenario ends up being the primary tight end for the Tigers in 2027.
Green is LSU’s best weapon on offense, but the Tigers needed to add some depth to the tight end position. Bauer Sharp is out of eligibility and Donovan Green put his name into the transfer portal.
The most impactful addition to date, however, came Monday evening as Old Dominion wide receiver Tre Brown announced he was headed to Baton Rouge. A former JUCO prospect, Brown has climbed the ranks from Hutchinson Community College, to the Sun Belt, to now the SEC.
In his first year at the FBS level, Brown was one of the better playmakers in the Sun Belt. Brown led ODU with 38 grabs for 762 yards, and four touchdowns. His 20.8 yards per reception led the Sun Belt and ranked 7th nationally. Listed at 6’3”, Brown was classified as a redshirt sophomore this season, so he’ll have two years of eligibility remaining.
Brown was reportedly supposed to visit Ohio State, but whatever it is he saw on his LSU visit was good enough to make him cancel that trip and sign with the Tigers.
With these three players in the boat, LSU now has four total transfers and they’re all offensive players. They join incoming Hawaii wide receiver Jackson Harris. None of these four players may be quote/unquote stars, but if you trust the coaching staff’s eye for talent—personally I do— and recognize that the Tigers need depth more than anything, these additions make sense.
