Another LSU football player has entered the transfer portal.
LSU football tight end Jamal Pettigrew is the fourth player leaving the program this offseason.
Pettigrew’s name popped up on the transfer portal on Saturday. Matt Zenitz of AL.com was the first to report this and 247Sports later confirmed Pettigrew’s intention to enter the portal. Pettigrew joins safety Eric Monroe and linebacker Marcel Brooks as former LSU football players who entered the portal. Quarterback Peter Parrish is also no longer on the football team.
Have learned that LSU tight end Jamal Pettigrew has entered the transfer portal
— Matt Zenitz (@mzenitz) August 1, 2020
Since Pettigrew is a redshirt senior, he would be eligible to play right away for someone else as a graduate transfer. In four years with LSU, Pettigrew played sparingly, as he served as Thaddeus Moss’ backup last season. The New Orleans native has two catches for 17 yards thus far in his LSU career. With five-star Arik Gilbert coming in, the writing was on the wall for Pettigrew at LSU.
How concerned must we be about all these LSU football players transferring?
For Pettigrew, this is all about getting an opportunity to play, something he hasn’t had much of an option while playing for his home state’s LSU Tigers. While it’s incredibly late in the process, there will be a Power 5 team or a Group of 5 team interested in his services for his final year of eligibility at the college level. It will be interesting to see where he ends up in the coming weeks.
As for LSU, while it isn’t great to see a bunch of supposed returning players transfer or leave the program for various reasons, keep in mind the turnover on the Tigers’ coaching staff. Defensive coordinator Dave Aranda is now the head coach of the Baylor Bears. Maybe Monroe and Brooks didn’t gel with new defensive coordinator Bo Pelini or something?
As for the offense, last year’s passing game coordinator Joe Brady now coordinates the Carolina Panthers offense at the NFL level. While LSU offensive coordinator Steve Ensminger remains, former NFL head coach/offensive coordinator Scott Linehan replaces the highly-successful Brady in Baton Rouge. Could this be a reason Pettigrew is leaving the team or is it all about playing time?
While one would think there would be ample opportunity for guys to compete for starting jobs and available playing time with so many phenomenal players from last year’s team going pro, there is some reason to be concerned about seeing this many Bayou Bengals enter the transfer portal in the last several weeks. Hopefully, Pettigrew will be one of the last to depart from LSU.
Look for Pettigrew to find himself a spot where he can vie for some coveted playing time.
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