The transfer portal, college sports’ version of free agency, opened for baseball players on Monday. LSU baseball’s early elimination means head coach Jay Johnson is able to hit the recruiting trail early, but not before some of his players opt for a new team.
Five players from LSU’s 2026 roster have entered the portal: Mavrick Rizy, DJ Primeaux, Jaden Noot, Trent Caraway and Daniel Harden.
None of the five are considered surprises, and more names are likely to follow. A throughline is that no player who is departing was a consistent, everyday option on Johnson’s squad last year. Still, each of their departures leave holes in the roster that will be interesting to see how they are replaced.
RHP Mavrick Rizy
The first to announce his transfer from LSU, Rizy failed to build on a solid freshman season in his 2026 campaign.
While his usage stayed similar — making 20 appearances, just four less across significantly fewer games than in 2025 — his numbers also stagnated and brought doubts to if he could be a sure-thing, late inning or closer type arm.
The righty improved on his ERA from 2025, bringing it down over a half of a run in 2026 to a 4.22 mark. His six-foot, nine-inch frame always brought power, and he was able to reach back to find a better strikeout rate, bringing his strikeouts per nine innings up to 11.94 from 10.79 in 2025.
Unfortunately, he lacked the control needed to bring reliability in high-leverage, an area that regressed in 2026. He walked the same amount of batters, 19, in three and a third less innings than he threw in 2025. Rizy also had eight wild pitches and hit seven batters, both dramatic increases from a year ago.
LHP DJ Primeaux
Primeaux departs the program after four years in Baton Rouge. He spent his first year on campus as a redshirt and showed promise in 2024 before breaking through in his redshirt sophomore season in 2025. He pitched 14 innings across 22 games in 2025 to the tune of a 3.86 ERA.
Success did not follow the lefty in 2026 for his junior season. Several new lefty arms excelled while Primeaux stumbled out of the gate, letting two runs score and getting only one out in his first appearance of the season against Kent State.
From there, Johnson shuffled him out of the frequent arms that the Tigers utilized. He’d only get three more opportunities and pitched just two more innings for the rest of the season.
Of the departures, Primeaux leaving likely carries the least impact. Several left-handed pitchers brought to the team in 2026 showed their value, and the Tigers will retain a number of them after the draft.
RHP Jaden Noot
Noot transfers from LSU after his fourth year as a part of the program and his third season playing. He redshirted his first year in 2023 and was limited through his redshirt freshman season in 2024 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery.
His regression in his redshirt sophomore season came as a shock. The former top righty prospect from California had shown promise in 2025, earning five starts across 20 appearances. His showings there put him in the consideration for LSU’s third starting spot in the weekend rotation.
Though he didn’t earn the starting role to open the season, he was given the first midweek opportunity of the season. He only pitched three innings in it and allowed three runs, slowing his campaign.
From there it was limited-length relief appearances and one more start — a shelling for three runs across four outs against Southern — that made up his 2026 ledger of nine innings at a 6.75 ERA. He’ll hope a change of scenery can get him to put together a senior season that was more in line with his 2025 results.
INF Trent Caraway
Caraway leaves the Tigers after just one season. The California native transferred into LSU for his junior season after two at Oregon State.
He opened the season as LSU’s starting third baseman after being one of the country’s top transfer targets in the winter leading up. His production fit the billing in the early season, having big games in the non-conference slate.
Over time, though, his output began to dry up. Parlayed with an assortment of ailments in the conference play portion of the season and the breakthrough of John Pearson at third base, Caraway’s opportunities began to dry up.
His move comes as Pearson, a member of a family of LSU lifers, is set to return to his post in 2027.
OF Daniel Harden
Harden also leaves after just one season in the purple and gold. He transferred in from junior college side McLennan Community College in time for his junior season at LSU.
Harden had the collegiate equivalent of a cup of coffee with LSU. Behind the trio of returning, national championship winning, outfielders, Harden only got 22 at-bats in his time with the Tigers.
Almost all of his playing time came in pinch hit opportunities. Harden was often the lone left-handed batter on the bench prior to the benching of Zach Yorke. In those chances, he didn’t do much. He hit to a paltry .105 batting average.
The poor offensive production led to him being effectively non-considered as replacement for Jake Brown after his injury in the stretch run of the season, further limiting his playing time. His finest hour at LSU was a pinch-hit home run, his only long ball as a Tiger, to bring LSU back within one run in a late and ultimately failed rally against Sacramento State.
