The transfer portal has changed a lot of things about college football, but one of the biggest issues that's came with it is bowl participation. When players enter the portal, most of the time they do not play in their team's bowl game. Couple that with the fact that those leaving for the NFL Draft typically opt out as well, and you have a big issue. Participation in non-New Years 6 bowls (now college football playoffs) has been on the decline for years now, and this year looks like it's going to be as bad as ever.

What the lack of participation does though is allow some young guys to get in the mix and show off their talents without using up a game towards their redshirt, if they are still eligible for it by that point in the season.

This year, LSU plays Baylor in the Texas bowl, and the Tigers already have double-digit transfers in the portal and have lost guys like Will Campbell and Mason Taylor to the NFL Draft. They will be without a lot of their top players on New Years Eve, but it has opened the door for some young players to shine.

Here are some of the young guys we're most excited to see play in the Texas Bowl.

The No. 1 tight end in the 2024 class, Trey'Dez Green, is a pretty obvious selection here. Ka'Morreun Pimpton hit the portal and Mason Taylor declared for the NFL Draft, meaning Green is the top guy remaining in the tight end room. He should have a massive role against Baylor, and I'm excited to see what he can do with more playing time.

Shreveport native, Gabe Reliford, is another guy I'm excited to watch in the Texas Bowl. The freshman edge rusher appeared in 11 games, playing 51 pass rush snaps, and totaled one sack and six pressures. With Bradyn Swinson, Sai'vion Jones and Da'Shawn Womack gone, he'll be the Tigers most experienced edge rusher in the bowl game, and with a big performance, he could set himself up nicely for more playing time as a sophomore.

Another young edge rusher we could potentially see in the Texas Bowl is Kolaj Cobbins. Last year's 211th ranked prospect absolutely dominated one-on-one drills in fall camp, but didn't see the field this season and will redshirt. He looked like a monster going up against the second-team offensive line, so I want to see what he can do in a game. With so many DEs out for LSU, Cobbins should get into the rotation.

Davhon Keys has ascended late in the season and should be in line for a lot of playing time in the Texas Bowl. The true freshman linebacker forced his way into the rotation and played 37+ snaps in the final three games of the year. The coaching staff really likes him and I'm sure they want to give him another game to see what he can do before 2025.

With Will Campbell heading to the draft and the bowl game status of Garrett Dellinger and Miles Frazier up in the air, Paul Mubenga will likely see some more playing time in the Texas Bowl. The redshirt freshman started in place of Dellinger late in the season and had some rough patches, but grew a whole lot down the stretch. He finished with two nice games against Vanderbilt and Oklahoma and will be a candidate to start next season, so getting another game of tape on him will be good for him and the coaching staff.

I want to see Tyree Adams play for the same reasons I want to see Mubenga play. The former top-150 recruit was in and out of the lineup this year, filing in for injuries, and played pretty well. With so many starters leaving this offseason, the Texas Bowl is the perfect opportunity to start Adams (at either tackle or guard) and see what he can do for a full 60 minutes.

Kylan Billiot and Jelani Watkins are a pair of 2024 WR recruits I'm excited to see. They both redshirted this season, but are still eligible to play in the bowl game. With guys like Kyren Lacy leaving for the NFL and CJ Daniels leaving for the transfer portal, these two should find their way into the rotation on New Years Eve. They both came to LSU with a lot of promise, so hopefully they have a chance to showcase themselves to the coaching staff.

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