Brian Kelly expects 10 of LSU's 11 defensive snap leaders to return

On Tuesday, Brian Kelly held his first press conference since the Tigers season finale against Texas A&M, and during that press conference, he was asked about how selective they're going to be in the transfer portal this year, and he said they're taking a much more targeted approach to the portal this time around.

At the end of the quote, Kelly hinted at the fact that he believes 10 of their top 11 snap leaders on defense last season are going to return in 2024, so I thought it would be fun to go through and look at who could be returning and who may be the one player to leave.

When you look at that list, you realize it's impossible for the Tigers to retain 10 of their top-11 snap leaders because Andre Sam, Omar Speights, Jordan Jefferson and Ovie Oghofu are all out of eligibility.

I believe he meant 10 of the top-11 guys who are eligible to return, so that's why I made the list 15 players long. So if Kelly is correct, 10 of Burns, Penn III, Perkins, Ryan, Smith, Jones, Alexander, Swinson, Wingo, Weeks and Toviano could be back in the purple and gold next season.

Let's get the obvious returners out of the way; Perkins, Weeks and Toviano are either freshman or sophomores, so unless they hit the portal (which would be a huge shock), they will all be playing ball in Tiger Stadium next year, so that narrows it down to eight guys.

Out of the remaining snap leaders, Maason Smith and Mekhi Wingo are the most likely to enter their name into the NFL Draft this season. They're the only two defensive prospects for LSU that are inside the top-100 on most NFL big boards, so unless that one player Kelly thinks is going to leave is entering the transfer portal, it will likely be one of those two who go.

Another reason I think it's going to be one of those two is because Kelly identified the interior of the defensive line as an area they are going to target in the transfer portal, and if both Wingo and Smith were to return, I don't know if that would be the case.

According to most big boards that are out right now, Wingo is rated higher than Smith, but I have a feeling that Smith is going to be the one to go.

Wingo was having a great season before his injury, and while Smith didn't have his greatest season, he put a lot of good tape out there his freshman year and you'd be hard pressed to find another defensive tackle that can move like him at his size.

The current state of defensive lineman in the NFL is shifting rapidly. Most teams are going away from the big boys who can swallow up a hole and are looking for slightly smaller, more athletic guys who can make plays on mobile quarterbacks. That's why, despite Smith having a poor statistical season, I think there will be a team willing to take a chance on him in the second or third round.

I could be completely wrong and Wingo could be the one who enters the draft, because right now he's a projected late second/early third round pick, but I think he wants another shot at a national championship and could improve his draft stock even more with another season in college.

Whether it's Smith, Wingo or someone else entirely who is the one player Kelly thinks is going to leave, the Tigers will be in a good spot personnel wise on defense. I know some of you would like to see this defense completely rebuilt in the portal after their play this year, but do you really want to watch another defense that hasn't played together and is learning a completely new system again? I don't think so.

With another offseason in the system and more playing experience, I think this defense will only get better. They may not be a top-50 defense like we're used to seeing from an LSU unit, but if they can add a few key pieces in the portal, I think they can be a much improved unit in 2024.