Brian Kelly is going to need to find a quarterback.
A week after he took the LSU job and prompted an uproar over how his Notre Dame exit went down, Kelly’s starting quarterback Max Johnson announced Tuesday that he will enter the transfer portal. His brother, Jake, the top-ranked tight end in the class of 2022, also announced he would decommit.
The Tigers had already lost a quarterback earlier this year when Myles Brennan entered the portal and now have just one scholarship QB on their roster: true freshman Garrett Nussmeier.
Complicating matters further is that Nussmeier will lose his redshirt if he plays in the Texas Bowl, having appeared in four games this year.
Johnson, whose father Brad had a career in the NFL, threw 27 touchdowns and six interceptions this season.
LSU does have five-star Walker Howard committed for 2022, but as with every other recruit, Howard committed when Ed Orgeron was the coach. Kelly will need to do some work to shore up the class which, despite two top-50 prospects, ranks just 24th nationally and ninth in the SEC, per 247Sports.
The Tigers went a disappointing 6-6 this season and will play Kansas State in the Texas Bowl.