Brian Kelly just got a sizable jolt to his defensive frontline, reeling in former South Florida defensive tackle Bernard Gooden. The 6-foot-1, 280-pounder will have one year of eligibility remaining at LSU.

Gooden was a dominant force in his only season with the Bulls in 2024, racking up 35 tackles, 10 for loss, two sacks, two pass deflections and 35 pressures in 13 games.

That combination of productivity and experience should make him an instant impact player for the Tigers next season.

Kelly is hoping Gooden will add depth joining a talented contingent of transfers this offseason, including Sydir Mitchell, Jack Pyburn, Jimari Butler and Patrick Payton.

Last season the Tigers ranked No. 7 overall in the SEC with 34 sacks in 13 games.

Stay locked in on the Rivals Transfer Tracker to keep up with the latest transfer news, portal entries, commitments, and rankings. For a deep-dive into the transfer portal, make sure you visit the Rivals Transfer Search page.

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The spring college football transfer portal window is scheduled to open on April 16th, 2025 for 10 days. It is the second transfer window of the 2025 recruiting cycle. The winter college football transfer portal window opened on December 9th, 2024 for 20 days. There was also a five-day window for players to transfer after their team finished postseason play. Additionally, players get a 30-day window to transfer when their head coach leaves.