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Jay Johnson and the LSU Tigers continue navigating a critical stretch in June with the program set to compete in the College World Series while working through the NCAA Transfer Portal market.
The Tigers will hop on a flight to Omaha (Neb.) on Wednesday with Game 1 of LSU's quest at a National Championship set for Saturday night against Arkansas.
But LSU will also be keeping in contact with multiple Transfer Portal targets this month with the staff looking to retool the roster ahead of next season.
The program has already see over a handful of players reveal their intentions of departing Baton Rouge via the portal with LSU now having roster spots to work with.
Now, the Tigers have reportedly been in touch with Baylor Bears weekend starter Carson Bailey.
Following an impressive freshman campaign for Baylor in 2025, Bailey elected to hit the portal and test the free agent market.
The left-hander tallied a 4.89 ERA in 53.1 innings pitched while striking out 56 batters on his way to a 3-3 record.
TRANSFER: @BaylorBaseball weekend starter and LHP Carson Bailey has entered the Transfer Portal. Very intriguing arm. Had an ERA of 4.89 this season along with 56 K, 21 BB in 53.1 inning, but big arm w/ FB up to 98 + 40% whiff on SL.
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) June 9, 2025
Profile: https://t.co/VE1jgpFpHF
Portal:… pic.twitter.com/9Z3DVuELlG
Bailey made 13 appearances during his freshman season in 2025.
He has a fastball that's reached 98 mph and handled business in the Big 12 as a weekend starter in his first season in Waco (Tex.).
Now, the Tigers have reported interest in the talented southpaw where he will be a coveted name in the portal market.
LSU has added a pair of newcomers to the 2026 roster to this point with the staff looking to reconstruct another College World Series caliber group.
The Newcomers: Brayden Simpson and Seth Dardar
Brayden Simpson: Infielder
The LSU Tigers landed a commitment from High Point infielder Brayden Simpson last week as the program's first portal addition.
Simpson, one of the top prospects in the NCAA Transfer Portal, is coming off of a career season in North Carolina.
The coveted infielder primarily handled business as a third baseman for High Point this past season where he shined for his Panthers squad.
Simpson had a dominant two-year stretch at High Point with his 2025 campaign quickly putting his name on the map.
He rounded out the season batting .389 with 22 home runs, 77 RBI and a .477 on base percentage this past season.
Simpson is a Swiss Army Knife in the infield and has also spent some time at first base in 2024 and second base in 2023.
In 2024, the talented High Point transfer started in all 62 games where he batted .300 with 12 home runs and 45 RBI. He started in 58 games this year.
Seth Dardar: Infielder
Dardar, a Louisiana native, began his career at Columbia prior to making the move to join the Kansas State Wildcats.
During the 2025 season, he logged a team best .326 batting average with 18 doubles and a 1.065 OPS.
A consistent hitter, Dardar tallied 60 hits, 45 RBI and 13 home runs last season for his Wildcats squad.
BREAKING: Jay Johnson strikes again in the Transfer Portal with a commitment from Kansas State infielder Seth Dardar.
— Zack Nagy (@znagy20) June 8, 2025
The Louisiana native had a strong 2025 season after hitting .326 with 18 doubles, 13 HR + 45 RBIs.#LSU adds the talented infielder to the mix after a visit. pic.twitter.com/PfWe1RFa9Y
The New Orleans (La.) Holy Cross standout started in 50 games for Kansas State on his way to becoming a coveted transfer in the portal.
Now, he's made his move. Dardar will head home to suit up for the Bayou Bengals in his final season of eligibility.
More LSU News:
LSU Football Wide Receiver Donating NIL Money Back to High School for Title Rings
LSU Football Holds Commitments From a Pair of Top-10 Wide Receivers in America
Brian Kelly's Take: LSU Football Searching for Ideal Starting Offensive Line Rotation
More must-reads:
- Steve Kerr 'very concerned' about worrisome trend plaguing NBA
- Kyle Tucker, Bo Bichette among players to reject qualifying offer
- The 'NFL QB rushing TD leaders' quiz
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TODAY'S BEST
Austin Rivers urges OKC Thunder to use their 2026 pick on a frontcourt star if it lands in the top three
The Oklahoma City Thunder have shot out to a league-best 14-1 start this season. Jalen Williams hasn’t featured yet due to a wrist injury, but the Thunder haven’t missed a beat. They’ve started strong, picking up right where they left off last year. The defending NBA champions look locked in early on, and there’s already talk about them going back-to-back. Adding to that excitement, Oklahoma City are also in line for one of the top picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. Austin Rivers backs Cameron Boozer as Oklahoma City Thunder’s top pick if they land one There’s a decent chance the Thunder end up with a top pick in what many view as a loaded 2026 NBA Draft class. Adding another high-level prospect to an already deep roster would only make things tougher for everyone else. The Thunder hold the Utah Jazz’s (top-8 protected) and Los Angeles Clippers’ (unprotected) 2026 first-round picks. Right now, the Clippers are sitting at 4-10, with their pick projected to be ninth. If it moves into the top three, it goes directly to Oklahoma City. Speaking on Pablo Torre Finds Out, Austin Rivers shared his thoughts on what Oklahoma City should do if they find themselves with one of those early picks. “If OKC had a top pick, I would draft Cameron Boozer. They have elite point guards. They have elite shooting guards and small forwards and wings. They have a plethora of those. “Their issue has always been having size next to Chet because Chet does a lot of things great on the floor, but he doesn’t have that size and weight. That’s why they went and paid Isaiah Hartenstein. “But if you can get Boozer, then you now have a thoroughbred who has more size, more upside, and has a longer brighter future. “If anything, you might be able to even get off that Isaiah contract and be able to pay some of these other wings.” Cameron Boozer player profile Boozer is projected to go No. 3 in ESPN’s latest 2026 NBA Mock Draft. The 6-9, 250-pound freshman forward for Duke has started the season strong, averaging 22.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game through his first four appearances. Boozer stands out as a versatile big who can score from anywhere on the floor. He’s a polished all-around player who contributes to winning and is someone who would fit in perfectly with the Thunder.
Major domino falls for Yankees with Trent Grisham decision
Outfielder Trent Grisham is accepting his $22.025M qualifying offer and will return to the New York Yankees in 2026, reports ESPN’s Jorge Castillo. Players who accept a QO are considered free-agent signings and are thus ineligible to be traded prior to the following June 15 unless they consent to the move. Trent Grisham had a breakout season It’s at least a modest surprise, as Grisham is coming off a breakout year at the plate that saw him club a career-high 34 home runs. He slashed .235/.348/.464, thanks in no small part to a career-best 14.1% walk rate and a 23.6% strikeout rate that stood as the second-lowest in his career. Between that production, the fact that Grisham only just turned 29 earlier this month, and a thin outfield market in free agency, the stars seemed to align for him to pursue a weighty multi-year contract this winter. Instead, Grisham returns to the site of his breakout and will hold down a key role in an outfield that’s also currently slated to include Jasson Dominguez and Aaron Judge. The Yankees are interested in re-signing Cody Bellinger, have been linked to Kyle Tucker and also have DH Giancarlo Stanton at least loosely in the outfield mix. (He played 132 outfield innings in 2025.) How does Trent Grisham's decision affect the Yankees? Grisham’s return muddies the waters a bit, but GM Brian Cashman said recently that even if he accepted, it wouldn’t impact the team’s pursuit of a new deal with Bellinger, via the New York Post’s Greg Joyce. The Yankees wouldn’t have made the QO to Grisham if they believed his acceptance was a roadblock to bringing back Bellinger or signing Tucker. They’re surely glad to have him back. Even though his defensive grades took an unexpected downturn in ’25, he has the best defensive track record in center of the Yankees’ in-house options. While Grisham could have looked to cash in this winter, he’ll instead take a hefty one-year payday in what amounts to a bet on himself. Though he’s a left-handed bat, his power output was hardly a product of Yankee Stadium’s short right field porch. In fact, Grisham hit just .195/.326/.376 at home this season, compared to .254/.364/.506 on the road. If he can replicate this year’s huge power production, he could hit the market next offseason on the back of consecutive plus seasons at the plate and without the encumbrance of a qualifying offer. A big enough showing this year could realistically position Grisham for a $100M+ contract — particularly if his defensive grades rebound, too. The looming potential for a work stoppage is one other wrinkle to consider, but if anything, today’s glut of QO decisions suggests that players aren’t necessarily going to shy away from short-term deals that put them on the open market next year — at least not en masse. Grisham is one of four players to accept the QO, joining Gleyber Torres, Shota Imanaga and Brandon Woodruff in that regard. In a vacuum, any one of the four accepting his QO wouldn’t be considered a major surprise — but all four accepting in the same offseason is downright atypical. This marks the first time since the inception of the qualifying offer that more than three players have accepted a QO. With Grisham back in the fold, the Yankees’ projected payroll for the upcoming season jumps to about $263M, per RosterResource. They’ll now have about $286M of luxury-tax obligations, placing them just over the third penalty line. That means that the Yankees’ top pick in the 2026 draft will drop by 10 places, unless they’re able to sneak their luxury count back under $284M. Given the wide swath of offseason dealings that’s likely still on the table for Cashman and Co., that doesn’t seem to be a very likely outcome. In all likelihood, the Yankees will wind up in the top CBT penalty tier, just as they’ve done in each of the past three seasons. How does Trent Grisham's decision affect the rest of MLB? Turning to the rest of the league, Grisham’s early removal from the free-agent market — to a team that didn’t clearly need to retain him, no less — subtracts arguably the top center field option from the market. Bellinger, of course, can still play center but barely did so in 2025. Most teams probably consider him more of a corner outfielder/first baseman who can play occasional center field. Harrison Bader and Cedric Mullins are the two most notable options still on the market, though the former has been more of a part-time player and the latter is looking to bounce back from an awful 2025 showing. The market was light on center fielders to begin with and is even more so now, so teams looking for help at the position might be more inclined to turn to the trade market to address that deficiency.
Indianapolis Colts’ New Dynamic Duo: Is This the NFL’s Next Great Cornerback Tandem?
Let’s be honest, for a hot minute there, the Indianapolis Colts’ cornerback room was looking a little shaky. It felt like every week we were patching things together with duct tape and hope. But in a plot twist worthy of a Hollywood script, GM Chris Ballard decided to stop plugging holes and just build a brand-new, impenetrable wall. In what felt like the blink of an eye, the entire vibe of the Colts’ defense changed. First, Ballard pulled off a blockbuster trade, bringing in the one and only Sauce Gardner from the New York Jets. It was a move that sent shockwaves through the league and had Colts fans pinching themselves in disbelief. Then, just as the dust was settling, they got the news that Charvarius Ward, the team’s established top corner, was about to make his grand return from injured reserve. Suddenly, a position that was a giant, blinking question mark has transformed into a terrifying strength. It’s like going from a pop gun to a pair of laser cannons. Colts Have Best Cornerback Room In the Making When you get two alphas in the same room, you always wonder how they’ll mesh. But if you ask Gardner, he’s not just optimistic; he’s practically giddy. “Charvarius, he’s been a dog since he was in San Fran, since he was in Kansas City,” Gardner said on Monday. “I’m looking forward to just going out there together and putting on a clinic. But from afar watching him, he’s always been that guy.” That’s the kind of mutual respect that should make opposing offensive coordinators lose sleep. It’s not just about business, either. “We’ve been chopping it up a lot, talking ball, talking life in general,” Gardner said. “He’s a great dude, for sure. Great person to be around.” This isn’t just about adding talent; it’s about building chemistry. And with a veteran like Kenny Moore II, arguably the league’s best slot corner, holding down the fort inside, this trio has the potential to be downright scary. Moore himself was blown away by Gardner’s rapid adjustment. “He just elevated the entire room,” he said, noting how Gardner insisted the defense not slow down for him during his first walkthrough. Talk about confidence. Good Luck Throwing the Ball, Everyone Else So, picture this: you’re an opposing quarterback. You drop back, scan the field, and on one side, you’ve got Gardner, a guy who makes receivers disappear like a magician. On the other side, you’ve got Ward, a corner so good that quarterbacks actively avoid his zip code. Where do you go with the football? In his Colts debut, Gardner was targeted just three times and gave up a single catch. Ward, when he’s on the field, allows a measly 6.7 yards per catch. You’d have better luck trying to thread a needle in a hurricane. This isn’t just about shutting down two receivers. The presence of two legitimate lockdown corners completely changes the defensive playbook. It allows Defensive Coordinator Lou Anarumo to get aggressive. He can dial up more blitzes, get creative with his schemes, and dare quarterbacks to test his secondary, all while knowing he has two elite erasers on the back end. Of course, the equation isn’t perfect just yet. The recent loss of DeForest Buckner to injured reserve stings. The symbiotic relationship between pass rush and coverage means losing a beast like Buckner just as you gain Gardner almost feels like a wash. But reinforcements are on the way. The prospect of having Gardner, Ward, and a healthy Buckner on the field at the same time is the stuff of dreams for Colts fans and the stuff of nightmares for the rest of the AFC. For now, the league is on notice. The Colts have assembled a secondary that looks terrifying on paper. Gardner is ready to put on a “clinic.” And soon, we’ll all get to see if this dynamic duo can turn that hype into a full-blown defensive masterpiece.
Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin breaks silence on reported ultimatum
The Ole Miss Rebels reportedly gave head coach Lane Kiffin a deadline of Nov. 28 to decide whether he wants to stay with the school. That was news to him. On Tuesday, Kiffin joined "The Pat McAfee Show" to discuss his future. The coach is widely considered a top candidate for the head-coaching jobs with the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators. He denied that Ole Miss gave him an ultimatum, which Stewart Mandel of The Athletic first reported. Lane Kiffin calls report false "That's absolutely not true," Kiffin said. "There hasn't been anything like that at all. And so, I don't know where that came from, like a lot of stuff that comes out there." After denying the report, Kiffin reiterated how much he loves Oxford and said he's ecstatic the team is in the thick of the College Football Playoff Hunt. As of Tuesday, ESPN's Football Power Index gives the 10-1 Rebels an 89.1% chance to make the CFP, the third-best odds in the SEC behind the Georgia Bulldogs (9-1) and Texas A M Aggies (10-0). "Like I said, man, we're having a blast," he said. "It just couldn't be better. Like I said, you pray for things. Our fans prayed for this type of thing, and now we're in the middle of it. So, enjoy it." Is Lane Kiffin telling the truth? While the school may not have issued an ultimatum, ESPN's Mark Schlabach reported that Ole Miss is "pressing" Kiffin and his agent, Jimmy Sexton, to inform the school of his decision soon. Schlabach added that Rebels athletic director Keith Carter wants to know his plans by this upcoming weekend. Kiffin may be able to provide an answer soon. He has reportedly met with Florida and LSU. Kiffin may ultimately stay with Ole Miss, where he has compiled a 54-19 record in six seasons. He's already making $9M this season, and the Rebels are reportedly willing to match contract offers from LSU and Florida. Still, Kiffin should make it clear what he wants to do soon. The Rebels host the Mississippi State Bulldogs (5-6) in the Egg Bowl on Nov. 28. He doesn't want rumors about his future to distract his team, especially when it can get even closer to securing the school's first CFP berth in the upcoming rivalry game.
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