LSU football supporters enthusiastically welcomed defensive tackle Bernard Gooden after he entered the transfer portal from USF.
And why not? He was the top-rated player in the portal at his position.
His commitment to LSU also bumped the Tigers to No. 1 in the 247Sports portal rankings. But what does Gooden’s departure mean for USF?
For starters, it takes away a disruptive and experienced body in the middle of the defensive line. 247Sports rated Gooden with four stars in the transfer rankings.
And since he didn’t enter the portal until April 21, finding a suitable replacement could have been a problem. However, the portal gives as well as takes, and Bulls Insider reported USF added former Vanderbilt DT Devin Lee on Thursday.
Gooden is represented by A&P Sports Agency, which says on its website, “We are not just an agency. We’re your NIL family. We don’t just negotiate deals. We forge legacies.”
Welcome to the brave new world of college athletics. It wouldn’t be much of a stretch to imagine someone from there saw LSU was thin at defensive tackle and that Gooden could fill that role.
We can also assume the potential difference in whatever deal Gooden had at USF and what he could get at LSU was significant enough to send him packing.
That’s just the way it is today.
You might look at his 1.5 sack total from last season and wonder why losing him is a big deal. Sacks aren’t always a reliable indicator of how effective a defensive tackle is. Players there are more effective when they create pressure, and Gooden excelled.
He had 35 pressures for the Bulls, which led all American Athletic Conference defensive tackles. Gooden can force quarterbacks to throw before they’re ready as a penetrator, or they can try to scramble where the edge rushers will be waiting.
LSU football sites noted that at 6-foot-1 and 280 pounds, Gooden is undersized for the SEC, but he was still a top target for Tigers coach Brian Kelly.
Baton Rouge was his first stop. He reportedly planned visits to Ole Miss, Miami, and SMU, but canceled those after meeting with LSU.
For what it’s worth, 247Sports ranks USF 8th in the AAC team portal rankings.
However, the Bulls' incoming freshman class ranks 2nd in the conference. That’s the more important ranking to me, especially when the portal looks increasingly like a one-year thing for too many players.
Gooden is included in that listing. He spent only one year at USF after transferring from Wake Forest.