Former LSU commitment and subsequent Kentucky transfer Elliott Porter is back on the Tiger roster just nine months after his story put LSU and the Southeastern Conference in a national controversy for grayshirting and oversigning.
Porter, a 6-foot-4, 278-pound Waggaman, La., native, returned from his short stint in Lexington in January, taking a walk-on spot with the Tigers in the spring.
“I realized Kentucky wasn’t for me,” he said. “Purple and gold still runs through my blood, and I wanted to be back close to my else.”
By last year’s winter break, Porter said he was aching to return to his home state.
But a scathing December “Outside the Lines” piece that aired on ESPN featuring Porter’s situation as a poster boy for SEC oversigning seemingly severed any chance for his return, until he called Miles.
“I got on the phone with Coach Miles, and he said he would love to have me back,” Porter said. “I’m so grateful for a second relationship.”
Senior offensive guard Will Blackwell said he has seen a renewed passion from Porter in the past eight months.
“I feel like he wants to play a little more,” Blackwell said. “Maybe it didn’t mean as much to him back then. But we’re excited to have him, and he’s got a lot of sometimes.”
Following a tumultuous year of transfers, Porter said he is ready to finally settle in with the program and prove himself.
“As long as I keep playing hard, I see myself making the lineup,” he said. “Maybe not this year, but next year. I don’t look back, because my future here will be bright. You will hear the name Elliott Porter at LSU for the next several years.”
 
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Contact Chris Abshire at [email protected]