The LSU Tigers came into the portal season knowing they needed to add talent at the safety position. For years now, it's been one of the weakest units on the roster, but that weakness was amplified when Sage Ryan announced he was hitting the portal on Thursday morning.

Ryan was coming off his best season to date where he totaled 41 tackles, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one interception. He also posted a 75.4 coverage grade on Pro Football Focus, which ranked third on the team and second among the Tigers defensive backs.

Ryan's departure left the Tigers safety room with a lot of talent, but not a whole lot of experience. Today, we're going to look at where things stand and a safety the Tigers are looking to add in the portal.

The most experienced returnee for the Tigers is former Texas A&M safety, Jardin Gilbert. The Louisiana native came home last year and earned a pretty big role on this defense, playing 540 snaps. It wasn't his best season though. He missed 11 tackles (finished with 44 on the season) while allowing 242 yards on 10 receptions. Unless something changes, he'll be back next season and will likely be a starter.

The Tigers brought in Dashawn Spears in their 2024 class, and he showed a lot of promise early. He played 20+ snaps in four of their first five games, but didn't hit that mark again for the rest of the season. He was a great run defender and solid in coverage, but struggled tackling, missing 18% of his attempts. I expect him to have a pretty big role next year, because they seem to believe in his talents.

Joel Rogers was Spears' counterpart in the 2024 class. He didn't play as a true freshman, but he's someone this staff believes in. It's hard to guess what his role will be, but with a strong offseason, he could fight his way into the rotation.

The Tigers brought Austin Ausberry back home this past offseason. The U-Lab product committed to Auburn out of high school, but wanted to comeback and play for LSU. In his third collegiate season, Ausberry played just one snap for the Tigers and I don't see him being a major factor next season either.

CJ Jimcoily is the highest rated safety the Tigers are bringing in with their 2025 class. The four-star from Nashville is super talented and has the tools to play right away. I'd expect him to carve out some type of role as a freshman, I just don't know what it will look like yet.

Another talented safety the Tigers brought in this year is Jacob Bradford. The Baton Rouge native was originally committed to Houston, but flipped to LSU in October. We'll see if he ends up playing corner or safety at LSU, but he's talented enough to see the field in a limited fashion as a freshman.

Jhase Thomas may be rated as a three-star, but he's someone the Tigers really like. The Destrehan, La. native is a little undersized at the moment, so he may not be a year-one player, but he has a bright future at LSU.

Zechariah Poyser is one of the first names we heard linked to LSU when the portal opened on Monday. The former Jacksonville State safety had a visit with LSU this week and will also go to Auburn and Florida this week. As a freshman, Poyser recorded 75 tackles, eight PBUs and three interceptions. It wasn't against the best talent, but he's shown he can compete at a high level.

They will likely show interest in at least one more safety in the future, but for now, Poyser is their main target.

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