LSU Loses Former 4-Star Defensive Back to NCAA Transfer Portal
By Jerry Trotta
College football fans in Baton Rouge have been living a charmed life over the past year, but head coach Ed Orgeron apparently can't quite have it all. He lost one of his veteran defensive backs just two weeks after LSU started voluntary workouts ahead of the 2020 season.
Per insider Matt Zenitz, Tigers safety Eric Monroe entered the NCAA transfer portal on Friday.
Have learned that LSU safety Eric Monroe has entered the transfer portal.
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) June 19, 2020
Former top-60 recruit.
Monroe was the No. 1 safety recruit from the 2016 class according to 247Sports' big board, but failed to establish himself as a regular starter for the Tigers after redshirting as a freshman. Across 29 career appearances, the former 4-star recruit recorded just 21 tackles. His most productive campaign came in 2017, when he appeared in 13 games, during which he posted 14 tackles and two passes defended.
The Houston native can enter the transfer portal as a graduate transfer, which would grant him immediate eligibility for the next program he lands with. If Monroe doesn't garner much interest, he'd have the luxury of withdrawing his name and returning to Baton Rouge for his final season of eligibility.
Report: LSU safety Eric Monroe has entered the transfer portal. The former top-50 safety recruit appeared in 29 games for the Tigers from 2017-19.
— Glen West (@glenwest21) June 19, 2020
Because he’ll graduate this summer, Monroe will be immediately eligible as a graduate transfer #LSU https://t.co/wBpJKWioo1
This is now the second LSU departure in the span of a week, as longtime 2020 defensive tackle commit CamRon Jackson spurned the Bayou Bengals in favor of Memphis.
The offseason hasn't been spotless for LSU, but you'd better believe that Coach O has his eyes firmly set on another big season -- and he's not about to let a transfer or two stand in his way for even a second.