Brian Kelly on transfer portal: ‘If you’re filling needs, you haven’t done something right’

There is no shortage of opinions on the college football transfer portal. However, LSU head coach Brian Kelly claims his views have remained the same on the portal from the beginning.

“The transfer portal is what I always thought it would be, in that it can’t be strictly need-based,” Kelly said at the 2024 SEC Media Days. “In other words, [if] you’re filling needs, you haven’t done something right in the natural recruiting season. And last year, it was need-based and that’s never a good situation when it comes to the development of your football program.

“You need to use the transfer portal to top off the tank, so to speak, right? That you can add to a particular position and almost one that’s not needed but becomes a luxury. When you can get to that situation, I think that the transfer portal becomes an effective tool. But if it’s strictly need-based, you’re probably in for some rough seas.”

LSU only added eight players to its roster via the transfer portal this offseason — a far cry from a program such as Colorado, which added 41 players. For Kelly to recruit a player out of the portal, he had to see a clear way they would help the team.

For example, LSU added former Ohio State cornerback Jyaire Brown, who will provide much-needed depth to the Tigers’ secondary. In fact, the majority of LSU’s transfers are defensive players. It’s no surprise considering LSU statistically had the worst defense in the SEC last season.

While Kelly added the least recruits yet this offseason during his tenure at LSU, his scarce usage of the portal isn’t new. Kelly has never added more than 20 players to his team via the portal in a single offseason.

Nick Saban compares Brian Kelly to himself

No matter what strategies Kelly employs, he must find success in the upcoming season. He is entering his third year at the helm of the program and is yet to lead LSU to the College Football Playoff. On Monday, Nick Saban weighed in on the pressure facing Kelly.

“Brian is a lot like I was,” Saban said. “He doesn’t worry about expectations. He’s not really worried about what people say and think because he’s done it for a long time. He believes in the process that he has to try to get his team better each and every week. So, he’s not going to pay attention to that. And if you are someone who does pay attention to that, that’s the rat poison that I talk about all the time.

“That can really affect your performance and create a tremendous amount of anxiety and affect your decision-making, whether you’re playing quarterback or whether you’re calling plays on the sidelines. I don’t think Brian will be affected by that at all.”

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