Dec 2, 2023; Charlotte, NC, USA; Florida State Seminoles defensive lineman Patrick Payton (11) defends Louisville Cardinals running back Jawhar Jordan (25) during the third quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images / Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Brian Kelly and the LSU staff welcomed double-digit newcomers to Baton Rouge last weekend with the fresh-faced Tigers arriving on campus for spring workouts.
The Tigers brought in multiple Transfer Portal additions along with 13 early-enrollees from the 2025 Signing Class.
Now, with the semester kicking off on Monday, the new members of the program have begun working out with the team while getting acclimated to life in the Bayou State.
But there is one newcomer that continues generating significant buzz heading into his first offseason with the LSU Tigers: Florida State transfer Patrick Payton.
The No. 3 rated transfer in the portal, the upside of Payton is one that evaluators saw the minute he entered the free agent market.
Once officially in the portal, he took a visit to Baton Rouge with Kelly's staff knocking it out of the park for the impressive edge rushing force.
The ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year is a player that is physically ready for the Southeastern Conference with the LSU coaching staff eager at what he can provide in 2025.
The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder logged 110 tackles, 32 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, 12 pass breakups and three forced fumbles across three seasons with Florida State.
Now, national analysts continue labeling Payton as one of the "most impactful" transfer additions via the free agent market with LSU hitting the jackpot with his addition last month.
According to On3 Sports: "In 40 total games at Florida State, EDGE Patrick Payton made 110 total tackles, including 32 tackles for loss and 16 sacks. The Florida State transfer is a major pickup for LSU defensive ends coach Kevin People's position room. Payton will join a defensive line that has already added Nebraska's Jimari Butler and Florida's Jack Pyburn."
It's no secret LSU knocked the Transfer Portal out of the park after reeling in 16 signees to this point with the No. 1 class in America.
Kelly and Co. understood the importance of this offseason with the program reconstructing the roster in a major way.
The LSU staff has found the perfect recipe between building relationships with prospects while also organizing an NIL approach intriguing to potential Tigers.
Kelly has put up $1 million of his own money while anonymous donors continue providing help in the collective.
"It has put us in a position where we can be aggressive on anybody that comes into the portal. And that simply wasn't the case before," Kelly said of the new NIL approach in December.
"I'm not saying this particular match did that, but I think it really sent a message to everybody that this is where we are today. And if we want to be where we all want to be in terms of putting our roster together, we all have to step up. It started with me, and I think our fanbase responded equally."
The Tigers welcomed double-digit Transfer Portal signees to campus last weekend headlined by Mansoor Delane, Patrick Payton and Nic Anderson. LSU will see all of their signees on campus by the start of Spring Camp in March.
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