In what was an eventful Saturday for the purple and gold in the transfer portal, LSU closed it all out with a commitment from Nebraska edge rusher Jimari Butler.
A veteran pass rusher who has appeared in 34 games over the previous three seasons, Butler has been a starter for Nebraska the last two so he’s seen and performed in many big time college atmospheres. He’ll come to Baton Rouge a seasoned player as 2025 will be his last year of eligibility.
Butler is a two year starter with Nebraska who recorded a combined 15.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks during that time. For his career he has 65 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.
Butler is from the Mobile area so Baton Rouge is only just a few hours away from home and makes a lot of sense as an edge rusher option with multiple years of experience for the Tigers to land.
With Bradyn Swinson off to the NFL and Dashawn Womack entering the transfer portal, LSU had to get impact guys with speed on the edge out of the portal who also had starting level experience. Butler fits that description coming from a Big 10 school like Nebraska.
At 6-foot-5, 260 pounds, this is a player who could gravitate towards the edge or be a more traditional defensive end. In addition to Swinson, the Tigers have to replace the production left behind by Sai’vion Jones and Butler has a very similar build. Kevin Peoples did really nice work with both Swinson and Jones so that was undoubtedly a part of the pitch for a player like Butler, who’s looking to get the most out of his final collegiate season.
LSU has freshman Gabriel Reliford returning on that side of the defensive line and the program is still bullish on fellow Kolaj Cobbins. But Butler is a veteran LSU can feel good about bringing into the room and being able to contribute from day one. Even with that returning talent, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Tigers continue to pursue talent on defensive line, especially at defensive end and defensive tackle.
The Tigers have also signed wide receiver Barion Brown, tight end Bauer Sharp and cornerback Ja’Keem Jackson, all coming in the last two days. This has been a week where the purple and gold have shuffled many portal visitors in and out of Baton Rouge so it’s no surprise to see such a heavy influx of talent start to hop on board.
Here’s what LSU’s current roster situation looks like at the two edge positions of the defensive line:
Gabe Reliford
6-2, 270, Fr.
1 start in 12 games; 9 tackles (2 solos), 0.5 sack, 1.0 TFL
Dylan Carpenter
6-4, 258, Red. Fr.
6 games; 3 tackles (2 solos)
Kolaj Cobbins
6-2, 233, Fr.
1 game
CJ Jackson
6-5, 240, Fr.
Has not played
Damien Shanklin
6-4, 254, Fr.
Jimari Butler
6-5, 260, Sr.
65 tackles, 17 TFL, 7.5 sacks in 34 career games