Mississippi State wide receiver Zavion Thomas officially entered the NCAA Transfer Portal on Wednesday after spending two seasons in Starkville.
After revealing his intentions to enter on Tuesday, his name became locked in on Wednesday with Brian Kelly and the Tigers wasting no time in extending an offer,
Along with the Tigers, Thomas has earned scholarships from Auburn, Arkansas and Oregon, among others, over the last 24 hours.
Kelly and Co. have made it a point to offer Louisiana natives once they enter the portal and it's been much of the same this Transfer Portal cycle.
Now, the Louisiana native has LSU showing immediate attention to the elite wideout and return specialist.
Thomas is a player we expect the Tigers to handle sooner rather than later. He'll be a hot commodity in the portal, but LSU is expected to put a full court press on him.
After a 2023 season where he totaled 503 yards on 40 receptions, Thomas could be a key piece to what LSU builds next season. Keep tabs on the Louisiana native. Look for the Bayou Bengals to wrap this one up sooner rather than later.
Who else has LSU offered in the portal at wide receiver? There are two other wideouts on their radar:
Ja'Mori Maclin: Offered
The LSU football staff dished out their first NCAA Transfer Portal offer after extending a scholarship to North Texas wide receiver Ja'Mori Maclin on Thursday.
The graduate transfer tallied 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns on 57 catches in the 2023 season before entering the portal on Nov. 28.
Now, after less than 48 hours as a free agent, Maclin has reeled in 11 offers from top notch programs, including Brian Kelly's LSU Tigers.
The Offers: Penn State, Ole Miss, Michigan State, Cincinnati, Kentucky, South Carolina, California, Texas A&M, Colorado, UCF, and LSU.
LSU will likely lose both Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. to the 2024 NFL Draft with the first Transfer Portal offer showing their intentions to take a wide receiver via the free agency market this offseason.
The NCAA Transfer Portal officially opened for business on Monday, Dec. 4 with a myriad of star players entering. For the Tigers, they'll certainly keep tabs on the wide receiver market after extending an offer to Maclin.
For Maclin, he began his collegiate career at Missouri before transferring to North Texas after two seasons.
As a junior at North Texas, the production of Maclin was limited, but fast forward to his senior year with experienced signal-caller Chandler Rogers at the helm, and the dynamic duo became one of the top one-two punches in the conference.
There were significant advancements in Maclin's game. From his route running to separation at the line of scrimmage, he quickly made his presence felt and proved he's capable of playing against the highest level of competition for his final season.
Now, after entering the NCAA Transfer Portal just four days ago, it's clear he has the attention of SEC programs and more.
The player development in LSU's program is key here. We saw LSU wide receiver Kyren Lacy make the jump from a G5 program to Power 5 program, and after two years in the system, he's taken that next step.
For Maclin, he only has one year of eligibility remaining, but with familiarity with an SEC regimen, he could be a key piece to what this program does at wide receiver.
After receiving nearly a dozen scholarships already, he's a hot commodity in the free agent market, but keep tabs on Maclin over the next few weeks as the portal heats up.
Will Sheppard: The Target
Vanderbilt wide receiver Will Sheppard officially entered the NCAA Transfer Portal over the weekend and will have a long list of potential suitors.
LSU hasn't officially offered the Louisiana native yet, but there is mutual interest between both parties. With Brian Kelly looking to seek out portal players from the Bayou State and Sheppard's SEC production, it could be a match made in heaven.
The Production: Totaled over 2,000 yards and 21 TDs in his 3 years at Vanderbilt. Finished Top 5 in the SEC in touchdowns and yards in 2023.
At 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, the Mandeville (La.) product will be a name to keep tabs on over the next few weeks.
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