LSU’s offensive rebuild had headlined the first few days of transfer-portal action in Baton Rouge, but the Tigers started Thursday with a pair of SEC defensive linemen.
Auburn defensive lineman Malik Blocton and South Carolina edge rusher Jaylen Brown marked additions No. 13 and No. 14 to the program’s growing overall haul of veteran pieces and No. 3 and No. 4 to coordinator Blake Baker’s defense.
Blocton’s and Brown’s announcements were reported shortly before 10 a.m. by On3’s Hayes Fawcett.
The 6-foot-3, 291-pound Blocton played in 24 games, including 10 starts, on The Plains the past two seasons with 34 tackles, including 8.5 for loss and two sacks, and forced a fumble.
He signed with Auburn as a record-setting prep standout and two-sport athlete at Pike Road High (Ala.) and four-star prospect in 2024, worked his way immediately into the rotation as a true freshman and then took on a more consistent starting role this fall.
Brown signed with Missouri’s 2024 recruiting class before Baker and edge rushers coach Kevin Peoples left for LSU.
The 6-foot-5, 265-pound Madison, Ala., native out of James Clemens High played in five games as a true freshman before transferring to South Carolina where a knee injury midway through spring practice sidelined him for 2025.
His position coach with the Gamecocks, Sterling Lucas, joined coach Lane Kiffin’s new staff at LSU this past month, and now Brown will follow suit to Baton Rouge for the opportunity to finally play for Baker, Peoples and Lucas.
LSU returns more talent and experience on defense than on an offense being almost entirely reworked.
But the Tigers still have shoes to fill on that side of the ball and in particular up front where Jacobian Guillory, Bernard Gooden, Ahmad Breaux, Jack Pyburn, Patrick Payton and Jimari Butler have all either exhausted their eligibility or departed for the NFL Draft or transfer portal.
Blocton and Brown join Clemson defensive tackle Stephiylan Green as LSU’s transfer additions up front and should go a long way in bolstering their respective position groups around a returning core headlined in terms of experience by defensive tackle Dominick McKinley (Acadiana) and edge rushers Gabriel Reliford (Evangel Christian) and Dylan Carpenter (St. Amant).
Here’s the rundown of which new players heading to Baton Rouge thus far:
1. WR Jackson Harris, Hawaii
2. RB Raycine Guillory, Utah
3. TE Malachi Thomas, Pittsburgh
4. WR Eugene “Tre” Brown III, Old Dominion
5. S Ty Benefield, Boise State
6. DT Stephiylan Green, Clemson
7. RB Rod Gainey Jr., Charlotte
8. WR Jayce Brown, Kansas State
9. WR Eugene “Tre” Wilson III, Florida
10. P Hayden Craig, Florida
11. LS Mack Mulhern, Florida
12. K Scott Starzyk, Arkansas
13. DL Malik Blocton, Auburn
14. EDGE Jaylen Brown, South Carolina