“LSU Football Transfer Portal Roundup: Notable Departures and Destinations for Key Players”

Zalance Heard, a former offensive lineman for LSU, has disclosed his Transfer Portal destination. The five-star rookie will join the Volunteers program in Tennessee and bring his skills with him.

On Friday afternoon, Heard’s name appeared in the student directory of the University of Tennessee.

It’s the largest loss for the Tigers during the Transfer Portal window, as he was the top recruit in LSU’s 2023 recruiting class.

Three weeks ago, Kelly gave Heard’s status update while he considered his options. The former five-star player was considering whether or not to use the Transfer Portal. He soon made his intentions known.

Heard arrived at Baton Rouge with a confident demeanor, possessing the ability to challenge for the left tackle position. Although he is now playing right tackle opposite sophomore standout Will Campbell, he has already shown that he will be an important player going forward.

Heard chatted with Kelly about his role on the team and his optimism in playing a big part after joining with LSU.

“At the moment, Will Campbell is playing left tackle,” Kelly stated. “He’s not too bad. It wasn’t arrogant. He has faith in his abilities and what he can accomplish for this program.

Now, as the offseason drags on, Zalance Heard, a top 2023 signee, leaves LSU and moves to Knoxville after finding his listing in the student directory.

The Tracker for the LSU Transfer Portal and Its Destinations:

WR Jalen Brown: Florida State

With four seasons of eligibility left, the former Sunshine State four-star receiver will be able to play for the Seminoles in 2024.

Brown made his decision to attend LSU over a number of prestigious universities, including Florida State, Miami, and Texas A&M.

In just six games during his senior year of high school football, Brown amassed 22 receptions, 401 yards, and three scores. As a senior, he missed two games due to injury and two more games were postponed. He caught 111 receptions for 2,396 yards and 25 touchdowns throughout his time in high school.

After a brief stay at the Transfer Portal, the Top 80 prospect in the 2023 recruiting class has now found a new home.

RB Logan Diggs: Ole Miss

Diggs will stay in the SEC and play for Lane Kiffin’s Ole Miss Rebels in 2024.

After 10 games for the Bayou Bengals, Diggs concluded the 2023 season with 653 yards and seven touchdowns.

He leaves the program after being the most used player in a backfield full of talented players. Diggs spent two seasons with Notre Dame before transferring to LSU.
This season, after playing for LSU, Diggs said, “It meant a lot to me.” “When I ran out of the tunnel, it was bittersweet.” I thought, “Wow, I grew up watching all of this,” and as I was sitting here, I thought back on my journey from where I was to where I am today. For me, it was quite enlightening. I’ve been dreaming about it my entire life.

Josh Williams, Trey Holly, Kaleb Jackson, and incoming freshman Caden Durham will make up LSU’s running back room in 2024.

CB Duce Chestnut: Syracuse

The Syracuse transfer didn’t participate in many games during his brief stay in Baton Rouge; he will now look for his third house in three years.

Denver Harris, a transfer from Texas A&M, and Chestnut have been away from the team for more than two months as they prepare for their next chapter.

Now that he’s entered the free agency market, Chestnut shares his next course of action. Harris’s situation is still unclear.

We will need to take a seat, you know. About Denver Harris and Chestnut, Brian Kelly stated, “We haven’t had a seat with them. “We’re going to sit down and have individual conversations with both of them at the end of the semester,”

RB Armoni Goodwin: UAB

Goodwin has struggled with injuries throughout his career with the team, which has caused his standing on the depth chart to drastically decline. This season, he did not play a snap for the Tigers.

Goodwin had 16 carries for 65 yards and zero touchdowns in 2021 as a true freshman, but he saw a lot of action in his first season with the Tigers.

Goodwin was the Tigers’ number one running back going into the season, but a knee injury cut his season short. He totaled 45 carries for 267 yards and five touchdowns in his sophomore year.

After recovering from an injury, Goodwin continued to be a player going at half pace throughout Fall Camp in 2023.

With Trent Dilfer’s UAB Blazers, the former Top 150 prospect in America is returning home to play.

EDGE Quency Wiggins: Colorado

After a brief stay at the NCAA Transfer Portal, former LSU defensive end Quency Wiggins disclosed his transfer destination. A young player with a lot of potential, Wiggins will play for the Buffaloes and Deion Sanders in Colorado.

The Tigers wanted to sign the former four-star, who ranked among the Top 50 prospects in the 2022 cycle.

As one of the best defensive ends in the country, Wiggins’s development was expected to accelerate; yet, this season, in the absence of a defensive line coach, his progress was slowed.

Wiggins, a raw but adaptable defensive lineman, gained popularity on the Transfer Portal.

The former blue-chipper, who still possesses all the intangibles necessary to be a productive player at a Power Five institution, has found a new home with Sanders and Co.

DL Fitzgerald West: Indecisive

After alternating between the two sides of the ball during his tenure in Death Valley, West has had an exceptional two years in the purple and gold.

He moved to defense during the 2023 season since that was where he felt most at ease. West has established himself in his place going forward, despite his lack of playing time.

“I enjoy it. I’m accustomed to it. It comes naturally to me as I’ve been playing it for basically my entire life,” West remarked. “The changeover learning plays and other things, I wouldn’t say are that difficult for me. I am somewhat familiar with the scheme, so I understand my role in each performance.

OL Marlon Martinez: Mississippi State

After spending four seasons in Baton Rouge, Marlon Martinez, an offensive lineman for LSU, enrolled in the NCAA Transfer Portal. This week, the astute veteran declared his transfer to Mississippi State.

Martinez, who was mostly a backup for Brian Kelly’s squad, will be eligible to play right away at his next school as a graduate transfer.

The Florida 6-foot-5, 330-pound player was a part of the Tigers’ 2020 recruiting class and, having gained SEC experience, is now looking to make an early impression.

Over the course of four seasons and 45 games, Martinez started four games for LSU.

TE Jackson McGohan: Wisconsin

McGohan disclosed his choice to transfer to Wisconsin. McGohan is one of three rookie tight ends in the Tigers’ 2023 recruiting class.

McGohan’s skill set piqued the interest of people in the program after he participated in eight games during the first year, but the LSU tight end depth chart is still crowded.

Mac Markway and Ka’Morreun Pimpton, two freshmen, along with junior Mason Taylor, will be back for the 2024 campaign. Connor Gilbreath is a JUCO prospect that the Tigers recruited in July, even though his future looks to be at the offensive line.

In the 2024 class, the Tigers also managed to sign Trey’Dez Green, a highly sought-after recruit. He’s a four-star native of Louisiana who will also try to get reps early.

DL Bryce Langston: Indecisive

Former four-star prospect Langston signed with the Tigers in 2021, but throughout his time in Louisiana, he only appeared in four games for the purple and gold.

Langston, a native of the Sunshine State, was among the Tigers’ top recruits in the 2021 cycle, but he never got enough playing time with the team.

Now, Langston has made a business decision to pursue playing time after sticking with the program and waiting patiently in a time when it’s simple to leave in the blink of an eye.

The 6-foot-3, 293-pound player joined cornerback Laterrance Welch and running backs Armoni Goodwin and Kevontre Bradford as the fourth LSU Tiger to sign up for the NCAA Transfer Portal.

RB Kevontre Bradford: North Texas

In 2020, Bradford committed to LSU as a high school recruit, but he left the Tigers after just one season and announced his intention to attend Oklahoma.

Bradford did not play a snap for the Sooners despite moving from Baton Rouge to the Big 12.

The product of Texas would later leave Oklahoma and make his second stint back with the Tigers, but he would leave the team altogether prior to the 2022 campaign.

Bradford hadn’t played at the collegiate level in almost two years, so Kelly giving him another chance gave the running back group some depth.

Bradford is now leaving again, this time with the chance to play snaps at his transfer school in North Texas. Bradford didn’t take another snap after playing running back for the first time this season against Florida State in Week 1.

CB Laterrance Welch: Arizona State

Welch, a player with substantial upside as he embarks on the next phase of his playing career, was formerly a four-star and ranked among the Top 150 prospects in the 2022 cycle. Arizona State is where he plans to transfer, he recently disclosed.

According to PFF, Welch participated in 96 defensive plays this season in addition to receiving reps with the special teams squad.

The Tigers’ defensive backfield is still a source of worry because of its lack of depth going ahead.

Moving forward, LSU will have, among others, Zy Alexander, Duce Chestnut, Denver Harris, JK Johnson, Sage Ryan, Ashton Stamps, Javien Toviano, and Jeremiah Hughes.

For unknown reasons, Chestnut and Harris did not play for the Tigers in the second part of the 2023 season, and Johnson missed the entire campaign due to a surgery-related lower-body condition.