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LSU Tigers Lose Former 5-Star Offensive Lineman To The Transfer Portal

Originally posted on Gridiron Heroics | By Matthew Brown | Last updated 1/2/24

The LSU Tigers finished off the season strong with a bowl victory against the Wisconsin Badgers. Their offensive line got dealt a huge blow on Tuesday. Top freshman offensive lineman Zalance Heard announced he is entering the transfer portal.

BREAKING: LSU OT Zalance Heard has entered the NCAA Transfer Portal, per @PeteNakos_.

Heard was a 5-star recruit in the 2023 classhttps://t.co/sHXQMHd0DN pic.twitter.com/clPUzRjEGS

— On3 (@On3sports) January 2, 2024

LSU Tigers Lose OT Zalance Heard

This isn’t a huge shock if you have been following the news out of Baton Rouge this week. Heard was absent from the bowl game and head coach Brian Kelly said, “I think he’s looking at his role at LSU, evaluating it.” It seems that his evaluation was that he needed to find opportunities elsewhere. He was one of the top backup offensive tackles and even cracked the starting lineup near the end of the season. This is a big loss for LSU but it does speak to how deep they are on the offensive line.

2024 Outlook

LSU has an interesting schedule in 2024. It kicks off with a Las Vegas matchup against the USC Trojans meaning the Tigers have to be on their A-game right out of the gate. Conference games against Ole Miss, Alabama, Florida, and Oklahoma highlight the schedule. However, Florida is having trouble retaining players and Oklahoma has some big holes to fill as well. If LSU can find a solid quarterback, they should be right back in the mix for the SEC.

Can the LSU Tigers get back on top of the SEC? They will have to do it without one of the top tackles from this year.

This article first appeared on Gridiron Heroics and was syndicated with permission.

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