GLENN GUILBEAU, Tiger Rag Editor
So far, LSU basketball coach Matt McMahon’s imports are exceeding his exports in value on paper.
In just one week, McMahon has signed five players out of the NCAA Transfer Portal – some highly ranked, some not. But overall, he has assembled the No. 3 portal class in the nation, according to the latest rankings by 247sports.com
Yes, LSU trails only Louisville and Michigan in that poll. And the Tigers are the only program in the top five of the poll with five new players. Louisville and Michigan have three apiece as does No. 4 Creighton and No. 5 Indiana. Iowa is tied with LSU with five signees.
McMahon, who will enter a critical fourth season in 2025-26 after two losing seasons in his first three, has three portal players ranked in 247sports.com’s top 10 position rankings.
Dedan Thomas Jr. (6-foot-1, 185) of UNLV is the No. 4 point guard in the rankings and will be a junior at LSU next season. Michael Nwoko (6-10, 245) of Mississippi State is the No. 9 center and will be a junior. And the latest addition, Marquel Sutton (6-9, 225) of Omaha, is the No. 10 forward and will be a senior. All three are four-star prospects as is No. 21 shooting guard Rashad King (6-6, 204) of Northeastern who will be a senior.
The only non-ranked player is 6-6 shooting guard Max Mackinnon of Portland. All five signed between last Monday and Saturday.
Be wary of NCAA Transfer Portal rankings, however. By definition, players are only ranked with other players entering the portal. And the Transfer Portal is often called the Backup Portal, or Second Chance Portal.
So far, only one of LSU’s five players from last season who have entered the portal that opened on March 24 has landed at another program. That is explosive forward Corey Chest (6-8, 220), who is transferring to Ole Miss. Chest averaged 6.1 points and 6.6 rebounds with 1.2 blocked shots a game last season as a sophomore. He is the No. 11 power forward in the portal and No. 53 prospect overall.
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Chest was inconsistent last season, however, and injury prone. He started 19 games, but missed six games with various ailments as a redshirt freshman. He did have his moments, scoring 12 points with 18 rebounds in a loss at Elite Eight Alabama. In a 77-65 loss at Ole Miss, he got one rebound with no points in 10 minutes. In the Rebels 72-70 win over LSU, Chest grabbed 12 rebounds, but scored just five points as he missed 5-of-6 free throws.
Freshman guard Vyctorius Miller was LSU’s biggest loss out of the portal. He remains unsigned, but Michigan State and Georgia Tech have shown interest.
Other LSU players who entered the portal but are yet to find a new home are Mike Williams III, Damion Collins and Tyrell Ward.
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