Everyone who follows LSU Football closely knows that the Tigers had some needs to fill in the transfer portal this past offseason - more specifically on the defensive line, in the secondary and at receiver - but weren't big spenders like some of the other top programs. They got some guys like CJ Daniels and Gio Paez, but overall, it wasn't the type of transfer class most fans were hoping for.

For a while, we all assumed Brian Kelly just didn't want to play the NIL game and spend a million or more dollars for a big name defensive tackle/wide receiver/cornerback, but in his Monday presser, Kelly revealed why they "stayed under the salary cap."

"I think everybody that has followed us knows that we weren't very aggressive in the transfer portal [last year]," said Kelly. "We put together a defensive line using minimal resources and we've put ourselves in a position - and I'll use this term loosely - to stay well under the cap so we could be quite aggressive this year."

So it seems the Tigers didn't spend a whole lot in the portal last year so they could save up for a big push in 2025.

After that, Kelly told us that when they were looking at possible portal options this past offseason, there were a lot of players that duplicated what they already had on the roster. But with a handful of guys expected to leave the program after this year, they'll need to hit some areas hard.

"All of them are strategic decisions that are made from year-to-year...At the time, when we were looking at players that made sense for us, they duplicated a lot of things. We don't have that duplication in the program anymore. That's why, in certain areas, we'll be very aggressive."

It looks like the fans will get what they've wanted for the past few years. The Tigers have pooled their resources and are looking to add the biggest portal class they've every had. We won't know what that entails until later, but Kelly seems adamant on the fact that they will be big spenders this offseason.

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