by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
I have been informed LSU are pursuing two more transfer targets, which could be the team's final pair of signings out of 2022's portal, which would make a total of 12 transfer signings within the month of January alone for Brian Kelly's Tigers....consisting of many Louisiana natives returning home to the program they always wanted to play for in the first place.
The same theme will prevail, national names known to LSU's new-look 2022 staff, alongside some local talent moving back home:
TYLER STEEN (OL)
-1 Year Eligibility Remaining
Playing 34 games for Vanderbilt's OL, also appearing 4 times on the Commodores' defensive line as a freshman, senior Tyler Steen is impressive and could be the exact veteran presence LSU's inexperienced, talent-rich O-Line need.
Steen is durable & reliable, starting all 12 games at right tackle as a sophomore in 2019, including a Saturday afternoon against LSU's National Championship defense; though Vandy were thrashed in a blowout, Steen was a part of a Vandy offense which still recorded 30+ points. In 2019, Tyler was also the only offensive lineman to start all 12 games for Derek Mason's Commodores.
In 2020, his junior campaign, Steen proved his versatility as well, starting all 9 games on the opposite side of the line at left tackle; Throughout 2021, Steen raised his game to its maximum, starting all 13 games with an experience & wisdom which anchored Vandy's suffering OL.
At 6'5, 275, backed by 4 years of SEC experience, with St Thomas Aquinas ties shared by 3 current Tigers, including a pair of prior teammates (Marlon Martinez, Marcus Dumervil & Mason Taylor), Steen doesn't have to be an every-down, immediate starter to contribute & succeed at LSU.
However, if he joins Brad Davis' 2022 Tigers OL, he will possess every tool needed to start one more season at the highest level, only this time on the biggest stage, while LSU gain a strong, versatile offensive tackle holding years of experience he can pass down to Brad Davis' elite crew of freshmen & sophomore juggernauts (Dumervil, Martinez, freshmen Will Campbell & Emery Jones).
I am told Steen's move is a high likelihood at this juncture....keep tuning in here to check out all the info on Steen & other transfers...including our next name....
KOLBE FIELDS (LB)
-4 Years Eligibility Remaining
Metairie, Louisiana-native Kolbe Fields played one season for South Carolina, his freshman debut where he recorded a single tackle throughout 4 appearances for the Gamecocks.
Out of Rummel, Fields shares a few former teammates among the Tigers' roster (an example: Quinton "Pig" Cage), which is an apparent and obvious pattern concerning LSU's transfer strategy: Louisiana natives....but not just any Louisiana native...former high school teammates of LSU's current veteran roster.....pillars of the roster.....reunited with friends on a team, in a situation neither thought would ever be possible....until the transfer portal.
Fields recorded an outrageous 98 tackles as a junior at Rummel, adding 12.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, 3 INTs (1 INT returned for a touchdown), 3 PBUs, 1 fumble recovery as an elite level linebacker leading a historic defense: shutting opponents out of the end zone for 8 of 10 regular season games across 2019; the results escorted the Raiders to a state title game trip.
Throughout his senior season, Kolbe was utilized in many different ways by Rummel's defensive staff, including the deepest free safety, the first pass-rusher flying off the edge from a disguised blitz, twisting inside through the interior, dropping back into coverage....it didn't matter....
...Fields impacted games in a prodigious, wunderkind display of defensive anticipation & playmaking, batting away passes into the arms of fellow teammates, savagely pile-driving quarterbacks into the dirt, organizing his teammates pre, mid and post snap....it was as if Kolbe could see the game in slow motion....
Before his move to LB, Fields even played quarterback for Rummel, with mixed results as a freshman.....it's clear to anyone paying attention: if the Tigers are to sign Kolbe Fields, LSU would be getting an all-around specimen athlete.
I am told this move is also another that is almost certain to the point of being done and over the line.
UPDATE: Kolbe Fields is officially a Tiger.
by LONN PHILLIPS SULLIVAN
@LonnPhillips
Copyright 2022 Uninterrupted Writings Inc
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Told y'all Fields was coming
I like that CBK is bringing in Louisiana guys. They just play harder for the state school. Coach O was a good recruit but prioritized the out of state guys too much if they had higher rankings. You can go after the 5 stars out of state but 60-70% of your guys should be homegrown when you have talent like Louisiana high school football. The portal is a whole new world poaching 4th year guys developed by lower tier programs as well.
This transition year needed a real influx of game ready players. What effort by the staff. I don’t think we will ever see a portal year quite like the numbers this year.